RIO DE JANEIRO -- Brazil's federal police Sunday arrested two men suspected of ordering the killing of a popular Rio de Janeiro council member in 2018, a long-awaited step after years of society clamoring for justice.
The assassination of Marielle Franco, a 38-year-old Black, bisexual City Council member, in a drive-by shooting shook Brazil profoundly and reverberated across the world.
Police investigations showed federal deputy Chiquinho Brazão and his brother Domingos Brazão, a member of Rio state's accounts watchdog, were detained on suspicion of ordering a hit against Franco. Both have suspected connections to criminal groups, known as militias, who illegally charge residents for various services, including protection.
Ubiratan Guedes, the lawyer representing Domingos Brazão, denied the accusations against his client. "He did not know Marielle, had no connection with Marielle," he told reporters on Sunday.
Lawyers for Chiquinho Brazão, who served on Rio's council at the same time as Franco and is now a congressman, and former Police Chief Rivaldo Barbosa said their clients denied any wrongdoing, according to local media.
Brazil's Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski said in a news conference that the motivation for the crime is "complex because that group [the Brazãos] has multiple interests." He said investigations have suggested Chiquinho Brazão was especially upset about a bill that his then-colleague Franco sponsored at the City Council about regulation of land to build public housing in Rio.
"At this moment we have it very clear who are the perpetrators of this hateful, heinous crime of political nature," said the minister, who added that four other people had documents seized. Among them, he said, is a police detective who also investigated the case, Giniton Lages. Lewandowski also said the men jailed earlier will be transferred from Rio to the capital Brasilia.
The arrests of the men suspected of ordering Franco's killing came four days after Brazil's Supreme Court validated a plea bargain for the shooter, who was arrested along with the driver in 2019.
The investigation into Franco's murder had been troubled for years. Rio's state civil police couldn't break the case after the arrest and indictment of the shooter and the driver. The lead detectives were changed four times before February 2023. Federal authorities then attempted to take control of the case, but were not allowed to, which also increased suspicions of obstruction, according to Lewandowski.
The driver admitted to the double murder of Franco and her driver. The shooter, disgraced former police officer Ronnie Lessa, signed a plea bargain deal with authorities in January and his admission led to Sunday's arrests.
Barbosa, the head of Rio's police when the murder took place, was also arrested for alleged obstruction of the investigation, federal Police Chief Andrei Rodrigues said in a news conference.
"He actively sought to redirect the investigation from those who ordered the killing," Rodrigues said. Earlier, Franco's widow, Monica Benicio, said Barbosa offered her his sympathies after her wife was slain, promising to be tough in his efforts to find the killers.
The brutality of the slaying and the political hope she had embodied transformed Franco into a symbol of left-wing resistance in Brazil and abroad: People staged protests to channel their anger; her silhouette was painted on walls across Brazil and printed on T-shirts; her name figures on a street sign in front of Rio's City Council; and her sister, Anielle Franco, has been appointed Brazil's minister of racial equality.
The Brazão brothers' political clan is associated with an area of the city historically dominated by militias -- groups initially made up mainly of former policemen and off-duty officers who wanted to combat lawlessness in their neighborhoods with armed force. They began to extort shop owners and charge for services such as internet, cooking gas and cable TV. More recently, they have expanded their illicit businesses into land grabbing and real estate development.
Brazil's lower house will vote sometime soon whether its lawmaker Chiquinho Brazão's arrest will stand. A simple majority of 257 votes could set him free as investigations move forward. A staunch supporter of former President Jair Bolsonaro, Brazão is likely to count on meaningful support from his peers.
Information for this article was contributed by Eleonore Hughes and Mauricio Savarese of The Associated Press.