Rio Grande do Norte continues to suffer from a wave of violence that has reached its fifth consecutive day. Early this Saturday (18), armed criminals expelled residents and set fire to three houses in the Igapó neighborhood, in the northern part of Natal. A 77-year-old woman was awakened with a gun pointed at her head. In São Gonçalo do Amarante, in the metropolitan area of the capital, a criminal police officer was shot dead by two men on a motorcycle, while he was in a neighborhood business.
The Public Ministry of Rio Grande do Norte (MPRN) claims that the attacks are led by criminal leaders who are imprisoned and who would be reacting to the lack of “perks” in prisons, such as intimate visits. The agency is also investigating allegations of torture and poor conditions in prisons. The wave of violence has targeted security agents and public buildings in the state.
According to the Public Security Secretariat of Rio Grande do Norte, 104 people have already been arrested up to early Saturday morning. The police seized 29 firearms, 87 explosive devices and 23 gallons of gasoline, in addition to 11 motorcycles and two cars, money, drugs and ammunition.
On Friday night (27), Governor Fátima Bezerra (PT) visited several neighborhoods in the capital. She closely followed the work of military police and National Force agents. The head of the state executive also received a call from President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), who reaffirmed his support and “unrestricted collaboration” in the effort to restore security conditions in the state.
coordinated attacks
At least 15 Potiguar cities were hit during the attacks. In addition to burning vehicles, shots were fired at Military Police bases, courthouses, city halls and other public buildings. Rio Grande do Norte Public Security Secretary Francisco Canindé Silva said that the state government’s intelligence sector had detected the possibility of an attack in advance. Although there were preparatory meetings, the police forces were unable to prevent the violence.
Silva guaranteed that the defense strategy prepared by the public security agents meant that the attacks during the night were less harmful than expected. According to him, the coordinated attacks are a reaction by members of a criminal organization to police activity.
With information from Agência Brasil.
Editing: Thales Schmidt
