Brazilian police arrest third man suspected of links to Hezbollah

Brazilian police arrest third man suspected of links to Hezbollah

Brazilian police on Sunday arrested another man suspected of links to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, bringing the number of detainees suspected of involvement with the group to three, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

The name of the detainee, arrested in Brazil's capital Brasilia, was not revealed, but his alleged link to the Iranian-backed group was already under investigation, sources said.

Last week, Brazil arrested two people in Sao Paulo in an operation to break up a suspected Hezbollah cell allegedly planning attacks on Jewish targets in the south American nation.

Hezbollah was set up in Lebanon by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in 1982 to fight Israeli forces that had invaded Lebanon. It has been designated a terrorist organization by Argentina, Britain, Canada, Germany, Honduras and the United States, as well as most U.S.-allied Gulf states.

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said in 2019 he planned to label Hezbollah a terrorist organization as well, but the move never took place.