Man held in Olympic-bound Rio for suspected terror links

Rio de Janeiro, July 30: A man was arrested on Wednesday (July 27) by police personnel in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro state, where the Olympics is set to kick off next month, for having suspected links with terror groups.

Edison Ferreira, the lawyer of Chaer Kalaoun, said on Thursday (July 28) that the latter was detained by the police from his Nova Iguacu residence on charges of posting online apologies for the Islamic State (IS). Ferreira denied that Kalaoun had any links with the terror groups.

The federal police, however, declined to make any remark on the issue, Reuters reported.

Ferreira said the police had detained Kalaun, the 28-year-old Brazilian of Lebanese descent, before the Fifa World Cup of 2014 on charges of illegal possession of firearms, the report added.

Brazilian authorities arrested 10 people suspected to be members of a group which supports the IS and discussing terrorist acts during the mega event kicking off on August 5.

Security has been beefed up for the first-ever Olympics scheduled to be held in South America in a time when terror strikes have left the entire world on a high alert.

Oneindia News