Criminals set fire to one of the trains that left Santa Cruz towards Central, in Rio de Janeiro, on Monday afternoon (23), according to the concessionaire that operates SuperVia rail transport.
The act occurred simultaneously with bus fires in Rio, a crime that the Civil Police claim was related to the death of the nephew of a militia member who works in the region during a police operation. At least 36 buses were set on fire. Until early evening, there was no confirmation of people injured or killed in the attacks.
The city hall decreed an internship in the capital of Rio de Janeiro.
According to the SuperVia statement, the train was approached by bandits at around 6:04 pm, near Tancredo Neves station, and the driver was forced to get out of the vehicle and return to the station.
After that, the criminals allegedly set fire to the train cabin.
According to SuperVia, all passengers disembarked safely.
The stations between Benjamim do Monte and Santa Cruz were closed for security reasons.
“SuperVia continues to monitor and work together with the police forces to mainly guarantee the safety of employees and passengers”, says the note.
Suspects arrested
The governor of Rio de Janeiro, Cláudio Castro (PL), stated, this Monday (23), that 12 people were arrested for “terrorist actions” after setting fire to buses.
“We arrested 12 criminals for setting fire to buses. And these criminals are already in prison for terrorist actions. And as terrorist actions, they will be immediately sent to federal prisons, because that is where terrorists live,” said Castro.
Death of militiaman
According to the Civil Police, the attacks were carried out by a group of militiamen in retaliation for the death of Matheus da Silva Resende, aged 24, deputy leader of the gang. He died hours earlier during a confrontation with civil police in a favela in Santa Cruz, a neighborhood in the west zone.
Known as Teteu or Faustão, Resende was the nephew of Luis Antônio da Silva Braga, known as Zinho, who since 2021 has been the leader of the main militia group operating in Rio. Faustão, was second in the group’s hierarchy, according to the police.
After the attacks, Rio City Hall announced the suspension of classes in schools in the city’s municipal education network. The information was confirmed on social media by Rio’s municipal secretary of Education, Renan Ferreirinha.
“Our teams are monitoring closely to minimize the damage caused by this war to the lives of Rio de Janeiro residents, especially our students and professionals”, wrote the head of the department.
The incidents caused the municipality to enter into a state of attention, according to the City Hall Operations Center. According to the agency, the attention stage “is the third level on a scale of five and means that one or more incidents already impact the municipality, affecting the routine of part of the population”.
The Military Police reported that they prevented a group of around 15 criminals from setting fire to a cargo truck on Avenida Brasil, one of the city’s main entry and exit points.
The attacks occur at a time when the National Public Security Force, the Federal Police and the Federal Highway Police were deployed to Rio de Janeiro to assist local forces amid an increase in crime.
According to state government sources, the possibility of using the Armed Forces to combat crime in Rio has also been discussed with the federal government.
Source: CNN Brasil
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