Brazil police order arrest of men pleading ISIS allegiance

Rio de Janiero (CNN) – Brazilian police have arrested 10 people suspected of planning terrorist acts during the Olympics, Brazil’s Justice Ministry said Thursday.

But officials also said that the fact that they were sharing messages on WhatsApp and talking about learning how to use guns, shows that they were an “amateur cell” that did not pose a major threat. Additionally, other countries are sending their own independent security groups to protect athletes.

The most tangible act by the alleged group was an attempt to contact a black-market weapons supplier in neighbouring Paraguay to buy a Kalashnikov assault rifle, Mr de Moraes said.

Concerns over security at the Olympics have increased over the past few weeks, but officials say they are more anxious about street crime and gang activity than terrorist attacks. Moraes said there were no specific targets for an attack.

Recently a jihadist on the messaging app Telegram called for people to carry out various lone wolf attacks on the Rio Olympics, which begin next month. On Sunday, another channel vowed allegiance to IS, although its authenticity has not been vetted for authenticity, she said.

The arrests were made in the southern states of Sao Paulo and Parana.

“It’s not impossible, but ISIS has other areas in the world where it is much easier for them to operate”, the former official said. Authorities said they believe those suspects will be arrested soon. Several were allegedly trying to secure financing from the group, known by the acronym ISIS. The individuals come from 10 different states across the country, and one of them is a minor.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach attends a press conference following an Olympic summit on June 21, 2016 in Lausanne.

De Moraes said no more details of the suspects would be released for the time being.

One message reportedly said: “If the French police can not stop attacks on its territory, training given to the Brazilian police will not do anything”. That email communication was intercepted by police.

Concerns over terrorism in Brazil were raised following the devastating attack in Nice, France, that killed 84 people.