Article

2006-05-16 Caribbean-Latin America

More than 70 people have been killed in clashes between police and gang members in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo. The First Capital Command (PCC) crime gang has attacked police officers, police stations, public transport and banks. Officials admit this latest wave of attacks by the PCC has "struck at the spinal cord" of the state's security but insist police will not be intimidated.

The trigger for the violence was the transfer of more than 700 prisoners to a maximum security jail. The move was designed to counter a series of large-scale PCC-organised prison revolts.

But since then, both on and off-duty police officers have been targeted with grenades and machine guns, buses and banks have been set alight and there have been more than 40 prison revolts, many of which are ongoing. Police suspect the attacks are being orchestrated by PCC leaders from their jail cells and have moved to shut down mobile phone towers near affected prisons.

Justice Minister Marcio Thomaz Bastos says he will go to Sao Paulo to reaffirm an offer to send federal troops made at the weekend by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. "This crisis has to be choked," he said. Sao Paulo state Governor Claudio Lembo declined the offer on Sunday, saying that the violence could be controlled.

The PCC is the largest criminal gang in Sao Paulo state and has a massive base in prisons. It first emerged in prisons in the 1990s and was responsible for uprisings in 20 prisons in February 2001. In November 2003, they launched attacks on security forces that left 11 officers and seven gang members dead.

Posted by Dan Darling 2006-05-16 03:30|| || Front Page|| [11132 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 shut down mobile phone towers near affected prisons.

About bloody time!

Posted by trailing wife 2006-05-16 07:08|| 2006-05-16 07:08|| Front Page Top

#2 They better get serious with these guys the way we did with the gangsters in the 20's and 30's or they are going to have a long hard road ahead of them. You can't fight gangs that have machine guns and grenades with cops who face an inquiry and possible prosecution every time they fire of a single round.

Posted by bigjim-ky 2006-05-16 08:27|| 2006-05-16 08:27|| Front Page Top

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