An American move raises controversy…classifying two Brazilian gangs as “terrorist organizations”

The US State Department announced its intention to designate two criminal gangs in Brazil as foreign terrorist organizations, in a move that sparked sharp political reactions within the country.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said that he would consider this step an interference that would benefit his main competitor in the presidential elections, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, scheduled for next October.

The US State Department explained that the classification would include the “First Capital Command” (PCC) and “Red Command” (CV) gangs, describing them as two of the most violent criminal organizations in Brazil.

She added that the two groups include thousands of members, and have carried out bloody attacks against Brazilian police and government employees.

The Ministry confirmed that the decision will enter into force as of next June 5, after which the two organizations will be treated as foreign terrorist organizations.

The decision comes at a time when supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro and supporters of his son Flavio Bolsonaro have repeatedly called for the classification of the two gangs, accusing Lula’s government of not confronting them effectively.

Experts estimate that the number of members of the two groups exceeds 50,000 people, while their financial networks and relationships are primarily concentrated in Europe rather than North America.

The Brazilian government had sought to prevent this classification, considering that the two gangs do not seek to achieve political or ideological goals, and therefore do not qualify as “terrorists” according to Brazilian law.

Brasilia also fears that the decision will give the United States a legal basis to take more stringent measures against these two groups, and perhaps carry out security or military operations on Brazilian territory, which it considers a violation of national sovereignty.

This trend comes within a strategy adopted by the administration of US President Donald Trump to classify organized crime groups in Latin America as terrorist organizations, within the framework of a more stringent policy to combat drug trafficking and organized crime in the region.