File photo: National Force officers attend the inauguration ceremony of the integrated security operation for Rio 2016 Games at Barra Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 5, 2016 [Xinhua]The Brazilian government authorized deployment of army units while security forces restored order in a northern state of Brazil on Monday after recent violence unleashed by a criminal gang that set off bombs, torched dozens of buses and fired shots at government buildings, local media reports said.
Brazil’s Interim President Michel Temer authorized the dispatch of 1,000 soldiers and 200 marines to the state on Sunday.
The wave of unrest is believed to be a response of criminal gangs to the use of mobile phone jammers at Parnamirim prison preventing criminal kingpins from giving orders to their subordinates from behind bars, state governor Robinson Faria told Agencia Brasil.
Rio Grande do Norte is not hosting any Olympic event but is around 1,553 miles (2,500 kms) north of Rio de Janeiro, the venue of the games.
“We are winning this war. The number of incidents is dropping,” the state’s security chief, Army General Ronaldo Lundgren was cited by Reuters.
A police statement said 65 people suspected of committing acts of violence and vandalism had been arrested since Friday.
It said 26 buses had been destroyed by fire, four buildings had been shot at and four bombs exploded across the state. No injuries were reported.
Some schools were closed after a school bus was set on fire.
Source: Agencies
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