Outlaw militias torch 35 buses in Brazil after crime boss is killed

Suspected paramilitary militia members torched 35 buses and a train drivers' cabin in Rio de Janeiro Monday, paralyzing parts of the scenic Brazilian city after one of their leaders was killed in a police operation, officials said.

The chaotic scenes erupted after an operation that state Governor Claudio Castro said killed the nephew and right-hand-man of a militia boss known as "Zinho."

Castro said the police had delivered a "hard blow to one of the largest militias in the west" of Rio, describing the nephew, who goes by the alias "Faustao" as a "known warlord."

Police subsequently arrested 12 people for suspected "terrorist actions" and city hall declared a level-three alert on its five-level scale, warning residents and tourists of possible "high-impact incidents."

Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes called the militia members "idiots as well as criminals," in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

"Militia members on the west side are burning public buses paid for with public money to protest against a police operation," he wrote.

Public bus operators' association Rio Onibus said 35 buses had been set on fire -- the most in a single day in the city's history.

They included five buses used on special rapid-transit lines launched for the Rio Olympics in 2016.

The Supervia train operators' organization said a train cab was also set on fire after the driver was ordered out.

Public transport in the city was partly suspended.

- Reign of terror -

Police operations against heavily armed criminal gangs are common in Rio, where poor favela neighborhoods are often caught in the crossfire.

Paramilitary militia groups control more than half the city's territory, installing a reign of terror in poor neighborhoods that are home to more than two million people, according to a 2020 study by a consortium of universities, online watchdog platforms and a government anti-crime hotline.

Militia members are often former police officers.

They initially formed as neighborhood watch groups to protect residents from drug gangs in the city known for its picturesque beaches but also its violent crime.

The militias, however, soon evolved into organized crime groups themselves, controlling sectors including internet service, cable TV, transportation and construction.

They have been involved in running turf wars with drug gangs on the city's west side.

The latest violence comes after three doctors visiting Rio for a conference were gunned down at a beachside bar in an upscale neighborhood three weeks ago.

Investigators said they appeared to have been targeted by mistake by criminals who mistook one doctor for a militia member.