Mossad said in a statement cited by the Times of Israel that Brazilian police detained members of a terrorist cell organized by Hezbollah that recruited Brazilian citizens to carry out attacks “on Jewish and Israeli targets.”
As previously reported by the Brazilian Federal Police, they were able to break through the “initial phase” of an attack against the local Jewish community.
Among those arrested by Brazilian authorities was a Hezbollah emissary detained at the international airport in Sao Paulo shortly after arriving from Lebanon.
Mossad emphasized in its statement Hezbollah along with Iran Attempts to organize attacks on Israeli citizens, Jews and residents of Western countries around the world.
Daniel Bialski, president of the largest Jewish organization in Brazil (CONIB), told the website he was “deeply concerned” about threats to the Jewish community in his country.