By Waldaniel Amadis and AFP | 2023-11-09

SÃO PAULO -- Brazilian police have arrested two people for suspected involvement in plotting "terrorist attacks" in the country, who Israel's Mossad intelligence agency said were backed by Lebanese militant group Hizbullah against Israeli and Jewish targets.

Brazilian Federal Police (PF) Wednesday (November 8) said they had detained two suspects in São Paulo in an operation to "disrupt the preparation of terrorist attacks and secure evidence on the possible recruitment of Brazilians to carry out extremist acts in the country."

Police also executed 11 search and seizure raids in São Paulo, Brasilia and the southeastern state of Minas Gerais, they said in a statement.

Mossad said in a statement it had worked with Brazilian security services and international agencies to foil a terrorist plot in Brazil. The plot was "planned by the Hizbullah terrorist organization, directed and financed by the Iranian regime," Mossad said.

The planned attacks targeted "Israeli and Jewish targets in Brazil," it added.

"This was an extensive network that operated in additional countries," it said.

It did not specify which countries. Security watchers have long tracked alleged Hizbullah operations in South America's "tri-border area," shared by Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay.

"Given the backdrop of the [Hamas-Israeli war] ...Hizbullah and the Iranian regime are continuing to operate around the world in order to attack Israeli, Jewish and Western targets," the Mossad statement added.

Plot to attack synagogues

The suspects in custody are Brazilian nationals who were plotting to attack synagogues, a PF source told Entorno.

Following the operation in Brazil, Brazil asked Interpol to issue an arrest warrant for two other suspects with dual Brazilian and Lebanese citizenship now in Lebanon, according to TV Globo, Brazil's biggest broadcaster.

The PF operation is a precautionary measure, Brazilian Minister of Justice and Public Security Flávio Dino stated in remarks reported by the state news service Agencia Brasil.

He withheld more details.

"We are unequivocally committed to combating terrorism ... The PF is actively investigating the hypothesis that a terrorist network is attempting to establish a foothold in Brazil," he said.

Brazil is home to about 107,000 Jews, second only to Argentina among Latin American countries.

The Israeli Confederation in Brazil (Conib) released a statement commending the authorities for their "decisive action against individuals with ties to Hizbullah." However, the organization also conveyed "deep concern regarding the arrest of the suspects" and their alleged intention to target Jewish sites in Brazil.

Conib emphasized the need "to combat and condemn terrorism in all its manifestations," underscoring the collective responsibility of Brazilian society.

The arrests come just over a month after October 7, when Hamas terrorists killed about 1,400 civilians and took more than 200 hostages.

Recent travels in Lebanon

Citing police sources, TV Globo said the arrested suspects had recently traveled to Beirut, Lebanon.

Interpol referred questions from AFP to the PF, which said it could not give further details on the case.

Counter-terrorism raids are rare in Brazil, which has been spared from major terrorist acts.

Argentina, home to about 250,000 Jews, was hit by attacks on the Israeli embassy in 1992 and a Jewish center in Buenos Aires in 1994 that killed 114 people combined.