Brazil Officials Tracking Violent Gang, Say Attack On 2014 World Cup Unlikely

Brazilian authorities said that they "are tracking a criminal gang that’s threatening to target next year’s World Cup although security officials say an attack is unlikely," according to Tariq Panja of BLOOMBERG. Sao Paulo’s secretariat for security said in an emailed statement that threats to the event, and Brazil’s presidential elections later in '14, "were overheard after police wiretapped calls made by members of a group known as First Capital Command, or PCC." Estado de S. Paulo reported that the gang "was recorded saying sport’s most-watched event would be turned into the 'World Cup of Terror' if its leaders were transferred to tougher prisons." Sao Paulo's public security office said in a statement, "It is a group that should be taken seriously and being fought like any criminal organization. However, the information gathered so far by intelligence services does not point to any indication that any attack will occur" (BLOOMBERG, 10/16).