Bolsonaro supporter kills Lula supporter as election tension escalates in Brazil
A supporter of far-right Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro stabbed to death a supporter of left-wing former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday, authorities said, in the latest example of rising political tension ahead of upcoming elections.
The incident took place in the Midwestern state of Mato Grosso after a nerve-wracking debate over support for both candidates.
Bolsonaro lags Lula in opinion polls in a politically polarized election.
According to the police report on the incident, Rafael Silva de Oliveira, 24, Benedetto Cardoso dos Santos, 42, was stabbed to death with a knife.
The accused was taken to the police station, where he confessed to the murder and was charged.
In July, a similar incident occurred when a local official in Lula's opposition Workers' Party was shot dead by a guard at a federal prison while shouting in support of Bolsonaro.
On Friday morning, a Bolsonaro supporter was hit in the head and said that PT supporters attacked him while they were waiting for Lula to arrive in São Goncalo, Rio de Janeiro state.
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