Man Kills Himself in Explosions Outside Brazil's Supreme Court

A man who failed in an attempt to break into Brazil's Supreme Court killed himself in explosions outside the building Wednesday that forced justices and staff to evacuate, authorities said. The two strong blasts were heard about 7:30pm after the day's session finished and all the justices and staff left the building safely, Brazil's Supreme Court said in a statement. Local firefighters confirmed one man died at the scene in the capital Brasilia, but did not identify him, the AP reports. Brazil's federal police said it is investigating and did not speculate on a motive.

Celina Leão, the lieutenant governor of Brazil's federal district, said the suspect had earlier detonated explosives in a car in a Congress parking lot, which did not cause injuries. "His first action was to explode the car. Then he approached the Supreme Court and tried to get in the building. He failed and then there were the other explosions," Leão said in a news conference. Local media reported that the car that exploded belonged to a member of Brazil's Liberal Party, the same of former President Jair Bolsonaro. Leão said only investigations will determine whether the owner of the car is the same man who died in the blasts.

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