The Chief Minister of the Institutional Security Office of the Presidency, General Jorge Armando Felix, said on Tuesday (7) that the government has been examining the creation of a legislation and a structure to articulate preventive procedures against terrorism. Its intent, according to the Minister, is to attenuate the effects of a possible terrorist action.

Jorge Felix, however, emphasized in the Committee on Public Security and Fight against Organized Crime that the chances of the occurrence of terrorism actions in the Country is very low. He explained to the Representatives that the Federal Government has been carrying out preventive procedures due to its responsibility in certain areas.

“Brazil has a contingency plan on fighting terrorism, mainly for protecting the infrastructure network [electric power, nuclear plants, telecommunications, water supply, transport]”, he said. The Minister emphasized that such contingency plan also works for the private sector - telecommunications and transport.

In early June, the Federal Government has created a nucleus to combat terrorism in the Country, which will propose strategies for integrated procedures of governmental bodies. The nucleus is comprised of members of the Institutional Security Office and of the Ministries of Defence, Justice and Foreign Affairs.

Prevention
The delegate Daniel Lorenz, who participated of the Public hearing, said that Polícia Federal also carries out preventive procedures against terrorism, even though Brazil has not been a target of international terrorism.

Lorenz reminded the attack in 2003, in Istanbul, Turkey, against the HSBC Bank, with several fatalities, despite the country being neutral during the war in Iraq,

According to Lorenz, the terrorist responsible for the action declared to Época that he committed the attack because Istanbul was the easier and nearest place to retaliate the alleged responsible for the Iraq War.

The delegate explained that the fact of the attack hitting people not involved with the causes alleged by the terrorists concerns Polícia Federal.

Internet
Daniel Lorenz stated that Polícia Federal arrested in April a Lebanese internet user identified as Mr. K for encouraging racist ideas against Jews. The Lebanese was suspect of having connection with the terrorist network Al Qaeda.

According to the police officer, Mr. K owned two internet houses in São Paulo and had not been arrested because the crime he committed is not provided in criminal law.

The director of the Department of Security of Information and Communications of the Institutional Security Office, Raphael Mandarino Junior, who acts in the field of cyber terrorism, said that Brazil have not typified crimes committed via internet, but noted that the police acts in accordance with the related crimes that would have been committed.

For the Representative Raul Jungmann (PPS-PE), who asked the execution and presided the hearing, the debate contributed to demonstrate that the Executive and the Legislative need to legislate on the terrorism issue.

Reporting - Paulo Roberto Miranda/The Chamber's Radio Station
Translation - Grupo Solucion/Thiago Capatti