Thousands of Supporters of Brazil's former President Stormed Government Buildings in the Capital

Several thousand supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro stormed the National Congress, the presidential palace and the Supreme Court in the capital. The security services restored order after some delay. There are no reports of casualties during the riots.

The demonstrators managed to break through the security cordons and stormed the government buildings, committing acts of vandalism. Police evacuated Congress, the Federal Supreme Court and the presidential palace about three hours after the attacks began. According to various sources, between 200 and 400 people were arrested.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva returned to the capital after a visit to flood-hit Sao Paulo state and ordered immediate action by security forces against the unrest. The situation appears to be under control, although many demonstrators remained in the area of government buildings in the Brazilian capital.

By January 31, a federal intervention will be in place in Brazil, with the state taking command of security forces from local authorities. The governor of the Federal District of Brazil, Ibanez Rocha, was removed from office by a Supreme Court ruling after he ignored calls from authorities to implement the security plan at the start of the storm.

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro rejected accusations that he incited the attack by his supporters, condemning the storming and looting of public buildings, but defended his countrymen's right to peaceful protests.

"Brazilian democracy will prevail over violence and extremism," said EU foreign policy and security chief Josep Borrell. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said she was "deeply disturbed" and stood by "all legitimate and democratically...