Attack threat closes OAB headquarters in Rio de Janeiro

The president of the OAB (Brazilian Bar Association) branch in Rio de Janeiro , Ana Tereza Basilio, ordered the closure of the headquarters until 12 pm this Thursday (3) on the instructions of public security authorities.

All activities scheduled at the location in the morning have been cancelled.

According to an official statement from the OAB, the reason is a threat of an attack related to extremist groups. The entity did not inform how the threats were made or which groups these are.

"We are in direct contact with public security authorities, closely monitoring the facts and investigations, and monitoring everything very cautiously," said the president. "The safety of lawyers, employees and everyone who passes through the OAB headquarters every day is our priority."

Among the events scheduled for this Thursday morning was the inauguration of the Commission to Combat Racial Violence, with a performance by the Villa Lobos choir.

On August 27, 1980, a letter bomb exploded on the sixth floor of the Federal Council of the OAB in Rio, downtown, by extremist groups opposed to political openness. The head of the OAB Secretariat, Lyda Monteiro da Silva, died as a result of the attack. She was 59 years old and had worked at the order for four decades.

According to the OAB, the explosion shook the floor of the building and shattered the desk of the secretary, known as Dona Lyda. She died on the way to Souza Aguiar Hospital, also in the city center.