Brazilian police said a backpack found near the residence of President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva raised bomb fears and renewed security concerns days before the new president's inauguration ceremony.
Last Saturday, the Brasilia police announced that they had thwarted a bombing plot, and arrested a man linked to a group of supporters of outgoing President Jair Bolsonaro who reject the election result.
They camped outside the army headquarters to urge him to annul Lula's election victory.
George Washington de Oliveira Sosa had placed a bomb in a fuel truck near Brasilia airport, but it did not explode.
New Justice Minister Flavio Dino said political tensions in the capital had prompted Lula's team to beef up security protocols for Sunday's inauguration.
Dino added that the transition team will ask the Supreme Court to suspend the carrying of firearms in Brasilia in the next few days.
Security assurances
For his part, a Brazilian official stated that many of the Brasilia capital's police force will be deployed by "100%" to ensure security during the presidential inauguration ceremony scheduled for Sunday.
"There will be a 100% mobilization of the police forces in the Federal District (Brasilia) to ensure the safety of not only the president, but also foreign delegations and the public," said Flavio Dino, who is expected to take over the security ministry in Lula's government.
Lula's supporters expressed fears on social media of riots or attacks on inauguration day, when hundreds of thousands of people are expected to attend the event in Brasilia.
🚨VEJA: ApĂłs tentativa de terrorismo in BrasĂlia, group antibomba da PF faz varredura em hotel on de Lula se hospedará.
pic.twitter.com/aZdQnQKf9P
- CHOQUEI (@choquei) December 26, 2022
Dino sought to give assurances that the party would be "safe" and "peaceful" to encourage Brazilians to go out and celebrate.
He added that there had been no change in the party's plans, in response to speculation that Lula might use a closed car rather than a classic convertible for his motorcade.
After Lula defeated Bolsonaro by 50.9% in the run-off for the presidential elections last October, supporters of the losing president blocked roads and demonstrated outside the military barracks, calling on the armed forces to prevent Lula's inauguration.
On December 12, pro-Bolsonaro demonstrators clashed with police and set buses and cars on fire in Brasilia.
Bolsonaro, who limited his public appearances after the defeat, did not confirm whether he would follow the tradition of handing over the presidential sash to Lula during the upcoming inauguration ceremony.