Brazil Cracks Down On
Illegal Death Squad of
Police Officers
Authorities in the
northern Brazilian state
of Para cracked down on
a death squad made up of
civilians and military
police officers, which
has killed more than 50
people, local press
reported Saturday.
An operation headed by
the Public Ministry led
to the arrest of23
members, and 13 of them
were military police.
They were accused of
various crimes including
homicide, drug
trafficking, illegal
detention of people,
arms trafficking and
theft, Geraldo Araujo,
Para's public safety
secretary, was quoted as
saying.
The group was originally
formed to eliminate
criminals in Para's
capital Belem and
southern city of
Redencao, then began to
eliminate individuals on
contracts with clients
who hired them, said
Araujo, adding their
actions violated
democracy and the right
to public safety.
The military police got
clues from anonymous
phone calls, which
confirmed the existence
of this group of
killers.
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