Gangs bring terror to Rio’s streets
Brazil: Bombs and hand grenades just days before famous carnival
Just days before the famous carnival In Rio de Janeiro, which normally attracts as many as half a million tourists from around the world, much of the city has been brought to a standstill by gangs armed with grenades, bombs and machine guns.
On Monday, gangs attacked shops, offices and police stations, while grenades and home-made bombs are reported to have been hurled at blocks of luxury flats in the seaside suburb of Ipanema. The violence is believed to have been orchestrated by Luis Fernando da Costa, a known drugs baron who is thought to “run” the gangs from inside prison. The city police force was forced to mobilise some 30,000 officers in an effort to control the violence.
While the authorities are anxious to reassure visitors, there clearly fears for the safety of the hundreds of thousands of tourists that will arrive in the city over the next few days. One local told The Guardian: “I don’t see more risk here than in Buenos Aires or in Bogota. If you are from Latin American you don’t care about these things, but if you are European you might actually get scared.”
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