Bolsonaro claims Lula is pressured by or part of terrorist factions

Brazilian presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro has accused President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of either being a member of or being pressured by the country's most notorious drug cartels. Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, made the strong claims while criticizing Lula's stance on the United States designating the Comando Vermelho and Primeiro Comando da Capital as terrorist organizations.

"The president of Brazil either is part of these narco-terrorist organizations or is being threatened by them," stated the senator in Curitiba. He was speaking at an event launching the candidacies of former judge Sergio Moro and other far-right figures for the governorship of Paraná state in the upcoming October elections.

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The president of Brazil, or forma parte of these narco-terrorist organizations or is being threatened by them.

Bolsonaro seized on Lula's remarks earlier that day, where the president expressed sadness over the U.S. labeling "our criminals" as terrorists. "Not 'ours,' Lula. They are your criminals," Bolsonaro retorted to hundreds of supporters. Lula had also warned the U.S. against treating Brazil as a "small republic" and accused his political rivals of betraying the nation by seeking U.S. intervention.

If elected president in 2027, Bolsonaro promised a crackdown on criminal organizations, vowing to treat the PCC and CV as terrorists. The U.S. designation, which takes effect June 5, was announced shortly after Bolsonaro met with Senator Marco Rubio in Washington and former President Donald Trump at the White House. The Brazilian right has largely celebrated the U.S. decision, seeing it as aligning with their tough-on-crime platform, a key concern for Brazilian voters.

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We are going to treat the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and the Comando Vermelho (CV) as terrorists.