Brazilian presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro said he had received more than 2,000 death threats over his hard-line rhetoric on organized crime. At a campaign event, he showed a message that he said threatened residents who support him.
The senator cited a social-media post he attributed to a person he described as one of Rio de Janeiro’s biggest drug traffickers. Bolsonaro said the post warned residents that their homes could be hit by stray bullets if they voted for him, whose ballot number is 22, and police later launched an operation. CNN Brasil did not independently verify the post.
Bolsonaro made the claim on Oct. 7 at an event held by the Republicanos party, which announced its support for him in Brazil’s presidential runoff. He said he wanted to protect residents of favelas from criminal groups and again proposed classifying the PCC and CV gangs as terrorist organizations.
Sen. Damares Alves said the campaign was seeking to appeal to more women voters. Bolsonaro’s proposals on women’s safety include integrating data and reports through the Gov.br app and using artificial intelligence to help victims of harassment. CNN Brasil attributed the threat claim and the contents of the post to Bolsonaro.