The Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs of the United States, Juan Pablo Segura, attributed the closure of the American embassy in Brasília and the consulates in Brazil to a security issue, two days before the first round. The State Department released Segura’s remarks last Tuesday (6).
In a briefing with journalists, the official did not provide details about the operation. “We worked with security services to handle the security issue. And, well, that’s all I can share about what happened there,” Segura said.
The American representations suspended services on Friday (2). In a warning issued the day before, the consular service stated that the services would be interrupted, with no return date. The services were resumed on Monday (5).
On the same day as the closure, the Federal Police (PF) carried out two search and seizure warrants in São Paulo and the Federal District, aiming to investigate an alleged planning of acts against U.S. diplomatic facilities in the country.
According to a note from the agency, the action was preventive and resulted from cooperation with foreign intelligence agencies. The PF stated that, to date, it had not found elements corroborating the initial risks nor identifying suspects linked to criminal organizations, and that the seized material would be analyzed.
