Brazilian hacker in Serbia fears death if extradited, claims police cooperation turned sour

A Brazilian hacker apprehended in Serbia fears for his life should he be extradited back to his home country. Patrik Cesar da Silva Brito, arrested in Kragujevac in late 2022, faces extradition to Brazil over charges of extortion and hacking personal data of a local mayor and two political officials. However, Brito claims he cooperated with Brazilian police from Serbia on an investigation into money misuse during the COVID-19 crisis and fears they intend to kill him.

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If they extradite me to Brazil, they will surely kill me there.

Brazilian media reported that Brito was initially arrested in Brazil in late 2021 after hacking the data of Aracatuba Mayor Diladora Borges and attempting to extort approximately 12,000 euros. He confessed, stating he needed the money to flee as police were pursuing him after he had also hacked the Wi-Fi network of former congressman Jair Bolsonaro and the phone and Facebook account of former Vice President Hamilton Mourao.

Instead of facing detention, Brito was released and offered a deal to become a police informant, leveraging his hacking skills for "evidence gathering" when official warrants were unavailable. He chose Serbia over Mexico as a destination due to less stringent COVID-19 restrictions at the time. From Serbia, he continued to cooperate with Brazilian police until mid-2022, when his involvement in "Operation Raio X," an investigation into the misuse of 500 million Brazilian reals from health systems, led to complications.

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If the police worked with an informant, things got even more complicated for the São Paulo police who led this operation.

Brito now believes the push for his extradition stems from negotiations aimed at securing a deal with the Federal Prosecutor's Office concerning the investigation against the police officers he claims to have worked with. One officer has already been charged, reportedly having recorded his superior, Carlos Coteta, discussing the willingness to kill Brito if necessary. This recording is the primary reason Brito fears he will not survive a return to Brazil.

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That recording is the circumstance because of which Brito fears he will not survive his return to his homeland.