RIO DE JANEIRO, January 9. /TASS/. More than 400 people were detained on Sunday for participating in riots in the Brazilian capital, Federal District Governor Ibaneis Rocha wrote on Twitter. Earlier it was reported about 170 detainees.
"I inform you that more than 400 people have already been arrested and will pay for the crimes committed. We continue working to identify all the others who participated in these terrorist acts this afternoon in the Federal District. We continue to work to restore order," he wrote on Twitter.
Earlier, the Governor published a video message in which he asked President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to forgive him, as well as the heads of the legislative and judicial authorities of the country for the riots perpetrated by supporters of ex-President Jair Bolsonaro.
On Sunday, the supporters of Bolsonaro clashed with police in the country's capital and broke into the National Congress (Parliament) and other state institutions. The few security guards at the empty sites on Sunday were unable to rebuff the protesters who did not recognize the results of the October presidential election.
According to preliminary estimates, about 5,000 people participated in the riots. To disperse the demonstrators, the security forces used smoke bombs and tear gas grenades, including dropping them from a helicopter. Law enforcement officers are successfully regaining control over the buildings attacked by vandals, the detainees are sent to police stations. There have been no official reports of possible casualties yet.
Socialist Lula da Silva took office as President of Brazil on January 1, defeating Bolsonaro in the second round of elections. The gap between them was 2.1 million votes. The conservative did not admit defeat, and his supporters massively took to the streets and to the garrisons of the armed forces demanding that Lula da Silva not take office. At the end of December 2022, Bolsonaro left for the United States.