Brasilia (AFP) – Brazilian police ruled out that there were explosives in a backpack thrown this Thursday by an individual in front of the supreme court in Brasilia, days before the presidential elections.

First modification: 02/10/2026 - 15:14

A suspect "tried to jump the court fences" and "threw a backpack over a bus stop," which activated the security protocol, the supreme court said in a note.

A dozen patrols cordoned off the area, an AFP journalist confirmed.

Authorities examined the backpack for "an explosive," said Maj. Raphael Broocke, spokesman for the Brasilia Military Police.

After analyzing its contents, it was found that they were "only personal items," Broocke told AFP.

The episode occurs three days before the elections in which President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva seeks re-election against the right-wing candidate Flávio Bolsonaro.

The supreme court was at the center of the campaign for a crisis that sparked revelations about links between some of its judges and a banker imprisoned for a mega financial fraud.

In November 2024, a man blew himself up and died in front of the court.

The area was also the scene of the events of January 8, 2023, when supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro, Flávio's father, invaded and damaged the headquarters of public powers to demand military intervention after the far-right defeat in the elections.

Hundreds of people were convicted of coup plotting.

Jair Bolsonaro is also serving a 27-year prison sentence for having hatched a plan to carry out a coup against Lula after losing the elections.

© 2026 AFP

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