|
|
| Toll rises in attacks by Brazilian gang |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 05/15/2006 |
|
SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL - A notorious criminal gang unleashed a second wave of attacks against police Sunday, bringing to at least 52 the number of people killed in what one official said was the deadliest assault of its kind in Brazil's history. An additional 33 related prison rebellions broke out on Sunday, bringing the number of penitentiary revolts across São Paulo state to 51 at the peak of the two-day uprising more than one-third of Brazil's 144 prisons. By late Sunday, rebellions continued at 41 prisons, and inmates were holding 229 prison officers hostage. The inmates have not made any demands nor have they harmed any of their hostages, said Jorge de Souza, a spokesman for the São Paulo Prison Affairs Department. Enio Lucciola, spokesman for the São Paulo State Public Safety Department, said the attacks and prison rebellions, planned by the First Capital Command, known by its Portuguese initials PCC, "were the most vicious and deadliest attacks on public security forces that have ever taken place in Brazil." The attacks were in response to the transfer of eight imprisoned PCC leaders, a practice authorities use to sever prisoners' ties to gang members outside prison. Lucciola said authorities were prepared for some kind of PCC attack after the transfer "but we never imagined it would be so big or ferocious." Late Sunday evening, the Folha de São Paulo newspaper's Web site reported the death toll had risen to 55 and that at least 10 public buses had been burned by bandits in the city of São Paulo. The São Paulo state government said the PCC carried out at least 100 separate attacks on Friday, Saturday and Sunday that killed at least 35 police officers, the girlfriend of one of them and two passers-by. Fourteen suspected gang members were killed in gunbattles with police. At least 72 people were arrested, Lucciola said. Officers set up checkpoints to search vehicles, and barriers were placed in front of many police stations. Assailants also attacked patrol cars, bars popular with off-duty policemen, a courthouse and a police outpost on the outskirts of the city of São Paulo. Witnesses to the killing of one policeman told the Folha on Line news service that two men wearing face masks approached the officer as he was dining with his wife, shot him several times in the head and then fled. His wife was unhurt. |
MARKETPLACE search vendors | advanced search
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
|
Comments:
No comments have been posted for this article.
Login to let us know what you think