A security guard at the (Supreme Federal Court), Natanael Carmelo, was a witness to the moment a man blew himself up, in front of the court headquarters, according to a police report.
In testimony, the security guard said that “the individual had a backpack with him and was in a suspicious attitude in front of the statue, he placed the backpack on the ground, took out a fire extinguisher, took a blouse from inside the backpack and threw it at the statue.”
“The individual removed some artifacts from his backpack and as the STF security guards approached, the individual opened his shirt and warned them not to get closer,” the security guard told the police.
Nathanael then saw an object “similar to a digital watch”, and suspected it was an explosive. Francisco reached for the extinguisher, but gave up and put it on the floor.
Francisco “went to the side with the artifacts and threw two or three artifacts, which exploded.” After that, the security guard requested immediate support.
Finally, according to the report, Francisco “lay down on the floor, lit the last device, placed it on his head with a pillow and waited for the explosion.” He did not see if anyone else helped in the attempted attack on the court.
Francisco was a candidate for councilor in 2020 for PL in Santa Catarina. He is a locksmith and ran in the election under the name Tiü França, in Rio do Sul (SC), but was not elected.
The attempt to be elected to the municipal Legislature in 2020 was Francisco’s only one. He spent just R$500 on his campaign, on accounting services, and received 98 votes.
