São Paulo state attorneys are investigating whether the Wednesday (13th) school shooting in Suzano, São Paulo, has any connections with radical organizations that promote hate crimes around the world.
According to the investigators, the shooter's behavior during the attack suggests the connection. For example, they wore hoods, used different kinds of weapons and shot someone outside the school. The investigation is happening under secrecy.
The authorities want to find out if the two shooters belonged to discussion groups connected to terrorist organizations within the Deep Web, which use cryptography to avoid monitoring and are not accessible through search engines.
This is why the state attorneys are qualifying the crime as "domestic terrorism." It's the first time the term is used in a Brazilian criminal investigation.
The police also announced a third suspect in the attack. A 17-year-old teenager is thought of having helped the shooters plan the attack to the public school, according to investigator Ruy Ferraz Fontes.
Fontes said during a press conference on Thursday (14th) that the police requested a warrant to bring the young man for questioning. "We have enough information to believe that this person at the very least helped planning the attack," he said.
Translated by NATASHA MADOV