PF investigates Brazilians suspected of planning acts against Jews in Brazil

The Federal Police are investigating a group of Brazilians suspected of links to the Lebanese group Hezbollah, which supports Hamas in the conflict waged against Israel since October last year. They are part of an investigation separated from investigations opened last year when it was discovered that a Brazilian and a Lebanese were recruited by the group to commit terrorist acts against the Jewish community in Brazil.

According to an investigation by the TV Globo published this Sunday (4), the investigation was disbanded after the discovery that more Brazilians were wanted by Hezbollah.

According to the investigation, the PF investigation resulted in the prevention of an imminent attack on facilities linked to Jews in the Federal District. The initial alert came from the United States, and the action of Brazilian authorities prevented a potential attack.

The details of the plan were revealed in videos recorded by a suspect in 2023 in the Taguatinga region, in Brasília. The images show a car passing in front of a synagogue, returning to the location and then leaving.

In another video, a car passes in front of another synagogue in Águas Claras, also in the Federal District. The last video shows a car passing through the Israeli cemetery in Brasília.

These actions were identified after the arrest of one of those involved in terrorist activities by the Federal Police at the end of 2023. During the investigations, a list was found containing eight important locations in the Jewish community in Brasília and Goiás, as well as information about a rabbi.

Access to the videos was linked to the email of Lucas Passos Lima, detained by the PF in November 2023, after returning from a trip to Lebanon. Lucas is one of the Brazilians recruited by Hezbollah, according to investigations.

The group, supported by Iran, is classified as terrorist by several nations, including the United States, France and Germany. Lucas’s contact is a Syrian naturalized Brazilian.

In addition to Lucas, another target of the investigations is Mohamad Khir Abdulmajid, wanted by Interpol because he is considered the main leader of the operation to recruit Brazilians by Hezbollah.

Both are accused of terrorism and criminal organization crimes, but the investigation remains ongoing.