Large explosion near Brazil's Supreme Court and Congress, one person killed

One explosion occurred outside the Supreme Court while the other occurred on a street next to Building 4 of the Brazilian Congress nearby. CNN Brasil quoted the Executive Secretary of Public Safety of Brasilia as saying that one person was killed in the explosion.

CNN Brasil initially reported that authorities said the explosion was a suicide attack. Military police are combing the area and are investigating whether there is any connection between the cases.

A spokesman for Brazil's Supreme Court said federal security police were on the scene, where the headquarters of all three branches of Brazil's government were sealed off. Members of the court were evacuated after the explosion in the capital Brasilia.

Attorney General Jorge Messias condemned the attacks and said federal police would investigate the explosion in the area around the Three Powers Plaza "rigorously and urgently".

“I strongly condemn the attacks on the Supreme Federal Court and the House of Representatives. I express my solidarity with the ministers and parliamentarians,” he told X. “We need to understand the motives behind these attacks and restore peace and security as quickly as possible.”

A spokesman for President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said the 79-year-old leader was not at the nearby Presidential Palace at the time of the explosion. The lower house of Brazil's Congress adjourned its session following the explosions.

Hoang Anh (according to CNN, AP, AFP)