After a month of investigation, the Federal Police (PF) concluded that two Syrians who were naturalized Brazilians were responsible for recruiting people in Brazil for terrorist attacks.
According to the PF Combating Terrorism Division, Mohamed Khir Abdulmajid and Lucas Passos Lima recruited three Brazilians, who were taken to Lebanon, the base of the radical Islamic group Hezbollah, for negotiations.
In the Middle Eastern country, Brazilians had paid tickets, accommodation in luxury hotels and expensive gifts, in addition to receiving money. The information was confirmed with statements from the suspects.
Based on the investigation and request from the PF, the 2nd Federal Criminal Court of Belo Horizonte then converted the temporary arrests of the two identified as arms of Hezbollah in Brazil to preventive detention, which has no end date.
“It is precisely in the fact that Mohamed Khir Abdulmajid and Lucas Passos Lima were the protagonists in the creation of a national network linked to the foreign terrorist group that the grounds for the decree of preventive detention are found. Positions that, if released, will continue to exercise the influence they gained to expand the terrorist organization being formed in Brazil, in addition to being able to continue the preparatory acts of terrorism already begun”, highlighted judge Raquel Vasconcelos Alves de Lima.
Two other suspects, who had been arrested in Operation Trapiche, were released because they collaborated with the investigations, passing on information and images. According to the PF, they do not pose a danger to society.
One of them gave a statement two weeks ago, in a hearing with a change of version, and confirmed that he had received an offer of US$100,000 (around R$550,000) to kill people.
The person being investigated, who is a musician from Rio, said he had been asked – in Lebanon – whether he was part of a criminal faction and whether he would be capable of committing murders. He replied no.
The man reported in his statement that he always responded negatively to the approaches. The musician said that, on one of the occasions, an individual insisted asking if he “would not be able to kill even for a lot of money, for 100 thousand dollars or more”, to which he replied “no again”, according to the transcript of the statements made to the PF, in a statement obtained by the CNN .
The approaches would have been made by people linked to the group and point to Mohamad as Hezbollah’s main link in Brazil and who is on the run.
In the court decision, the PF also informs the beginning of the investigation. “The FBI identified suspicious travel to Lebanon by a small group of individuals possibly involved in criminal activities in Brazil, such as criminal activities, drug trafficking, and potentially terrorist activities,” says the document.
fugitive leader
Mohamed is on the run in the Interpol Red Diffusion. The PF suspects that he fled from Brazil to Lebanon at the end of October, which is why there was a request to include his name among international fugitives.
Lucas Lima was arrested at Guarulhos Airport upon returning from a trip to Beirut. With him, the PF seized US$5,000 (around R$25,000). The origin of the money is investigated.
The group is suspected of integrating and providing assistance to a terrorist organization by native and naturalized Brazilian individuals, as well as carrying out preparatory acts of terrorism, facts that would constitute crimes provided for in the Anti-Terrorism Law.
A CNN failed to contact the defense of those being investigated.
Source: CNN Brasil
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