Suspected bomber dead after trying to enter Brazil’s Supreme Court ahead of the G20

A man killed himself with a bomb outside Brazil’s Supreme Court after trying to force his way into the building on Nov. 13, officials said, raising security concerns before the country was set to host world leaders from the Group of 20 major economies.

The explosions come five days before the G20 heads of state meet in Rio de Janeiro, followed by a state visit to the capital Brasilia by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The first of two explosions occurred Wednesday evening in a courthouse parking lot, followed seconds later by a second explosion in front of the courthouse, where the man’s body was found.

Deputy Governor of the Federal District Celina Leao said preliminary information suggested the man committed suicide with explosives after trying to enter the Supreme Court. She said he owned a car in the area in which another explosion blew open the trunk.

Leao said she hoped it was the crime of a “lone wolf,” but she wasn’t sure. Police said they had not yet made a definitive identification of the dead man because they were faced with the risk of additional explosives on the body.

The explosions took place around the Plaza of the Three Powers, an iconic square in Brasilia that connects the main buildings of Brazil’s three federal government branches.

It was the scene of riots on January 8 last year when supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro looted the buildings to protest his electoral defeat.

Police have sent a bomb squad with an explosive ordnance disposal robot to the square in the heart of the Brazilian capital to investigate the blasts.

Supreme Court judges had just finished a plenary session when the blasts occurred and were quickly evacuated safely, the court said in a statement.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva had left the executive palace on Wednesday evening shortly before the explosions.