Terrorism Profile - Brazil
19/09/2004
BrazilThe Government of Brazil extended practical, effective support to US counterterrorism efforts in 2002. Authorities have been cooperative, following up on leads provided by the US Government on terrorist suspects.
A Sao Paulo judge sentenced three Chileans, two Colombians, and one Argentine to 16 years in prison for kidnapping a Brazilian advertising executive. A well-known terrorist and former high-ranking member of the largely defunct Manuel Rodriguez Patriotic Front (Chile), Mauricio Hernandez Norambuena, was among those sentenced.
The Brazilian Federal Police in 2002 arrested individuals with alleged ties to terrorist groups. In April, police arrested Egyptian Mohammed Ali Aboul-Ezz al-Mahdi Ibrahim Soliman (a.k.a. Suleiman), in the Triborder city of Foz do Iguazu[1]. Soliman was arrested on the basis of an Egyptian Government extradition request for his alleged involvement in the 1997 al-Gama?a al-Islamiyya (Islamic Group, IG) attack on tourists in Luxor, Egypt, but the Brazilian Supreme Court released him on 11 September due to insufficient evidence to extradite. On 14 September, another IG suspect, Hesham al-Tarabili was arrested in Brazil at Egypt?s request in connection with the Luxor attack[2].
In another case, authorities in June arrested Assad Ahmad Barakat as a result of an extradition request from Paraguay on charges of tax evasion and criminal association. Barakat is a naturalized Paraguayan of Lebanese origin who had lived in the Triborder area for approximately seven years and had become notorious for allegedly moving millions of dollars to Lebanese Hizballah. The Brazilian Supreme Court on 19 December approved the extradition request. At year?s end, Barakat was still in Brazilian custody and applying for refugee status in Brazil.
In January, former President Fernando Cardoso proposed a revision of Brazil?s antiterrorism laws that would define terrorism more precisely and impose stricter punishment for those involved in terrorist acts. Brazil became a party to the International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings in 2002, making it party to nine of the 12 international conventions and protocols relating to terrorism. Legislation also was pending to allow wiretaps for court-approved investigations and to become a party to the 1999 International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism. At year?s end, neither piece of legislation had yet been submitted for Congressional approval. The Brazilian Government is willing and able to monitor financial operations domestically[3].
[1] See Section 12.5 of this report.
[2] See http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/pgtrpt/2002/html/19987.htm[3] For more developements see http://ods-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N02/203/76/IMG/N0220376.pdf?OpenElement
Related:
Anti-Terrorism Policy Home Page
PHR2004 - Federative Republic of Brazil
Silenced - Brazil
Brazil Law on Habeas Data, 1997
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