Brazil police arrest three suspects in 2018 murder of Rio councilwoman
By Fabio Teixeira and Ricardo Brito
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) -Brazilian police arrested three people on Sunday, including a federal lawmaker, in connection to the 2018 murder of Rio de Janeiro city councilwoman Marielle Franco and her driver, two sources at the federal police told Reuters.
Federal police arrested Congressman Chiquinho Brazao, his brother Domingos Brazao, a councilor on the Rio de Janeiro state audit court (TCE) and former Rio police chief Rivaldo Barbosa, said the two sources.
The police said in a statement it was serving three arrest warrants and 12 search and seizure warrants in connection with the murder, but mentioned no names.
Police officers arrived at TCE headquarters early on Sunday morning to carry out a search and seizure warrant at Domingos Brazao’s office, the audit court said in a statement.
Chiquinho Brazao’s office and Rio’s police did not immediately reply to requests for comment.
In March 2019, two former police officers were indicted on charges of shooting Franco and her driver and last year police made an arrest of another suspect linked to the case.
Franco, 38, was a black, openly gay and progressive councilwoman born in a poor Rio de Janeiro neighborhood. Investigators believe her killing to be a political assassination carried out by paid hit men.
A rising star in the Socialism and Liberty Party (PSOL), Franco was an outspoken critic of police killings of Rio slum residents and her death sparked nationwide protests by Brazilians fed up with endemic violence.
