Brazil Arrests 10 “Amateurs” for Pledging Allegiance to Islamic State

Brazil’s Justice Minister said on Thursday that the country’s Federal Police had arrested 10 Brazilian citizens suspected of pledging allegiance to the Islamic State and of arranging to buy weapons in nearby Paraguay to carry out an attack on the upcoming Rio Olympics.

Per Reuters :

The loosely organized group were all Brazilian citizens and in contact via internet messaging groups such as WhatsApp and Telegram, but did not know each other personally, minister [Alexandre Moraes] said.

The group did not have direct contact with IS though some of its members had made “pro forma” declarations of allegiance to the militant Islamist group, the minister said. He did not elaborate.

“It was an absolutely amateur cell, with no preparation at all, a disorganized cell,” the minister said, adding that authorities decided to intervene when the group started to plan actions.