10 Brazilians accused of planning terrorist acts sent to high-security prison

The Brazilian Federal Police announced on Friday that the 10 people arrested on Thursday for supposedly planning a terrorist attack in the upcoming Olympic Games were transferred to a maximum security prison in Mato Grosso do Sul state, in the country's midwestern region.

The Campo Grande Federal Prison, Brazil's most secure prison complex where some of Brazil's most dangerous criminals, such as Rio drug lord Fernandinho Beira-Mar, are serving their sentences.

Local press reported the names of the 10 accused: Antonio Andrade dos Santos Junior, Levi Ribeiro Fernandes de Jesus, Marco Mario Duarte, Matheus Barbosa e Silva, Mohamad Mounir Zakaria, Oziris Moris Lundi dos Santos Azevedo, Daniel Freitas Baltazar, Hortencio Youshitake, Israel Pedra Mesquita and Vitor Magalhaes.

According to daily O Globo, Antonio Andrade dos Santos Junior is known for his openly radical views and was expelled from Muslim groups in the past due to his radicalism.

Police said that all the 10 accused were part of a plot to carry out terrorist attacks in Rio, and were arrested when they changed from simply praising the acts and violent positions of the so-called Islamic State to starting actual preparations for an attack, such as taking steps to purchase a rifle.

According to prosecutor Rafael Brum Miron, there is sufficient evidence to indict the men according to Brazil's new anti-terrorism law.

"The evidence collected so far allow for the indictment of the investigated men in at least, the crimes of promoting or integrating terrorist organizations," he said.

The accused communicated through the internet, using mostly messaging apps like Whatsapp and Telegram. According to the prosecution, they engaged in promotion of extremist acts, as well as religious, racial and gender-based persecution. Enditem