Brazil's federal police arrested on Sunday the men suspected of ordering the killing of Rio de Janeiro councilwoman Marielle Franco in 2018.
Two federal police sources with knowledge of the investigation told The Associated Press that congressman Chiquinho Brazão and his brother Domingos Brazão, a member of Rio state's accounts watchdog, were detained. Both have connections to criminal groups, known as militias, who illegally charge residents for various services, including protection.
Rivaldo Barbosa, the head of Rio's police when the murder took place, was also arrested for alleged obstruction of the investigation, the sources said.
Franco, the councilwoman, worked as an assistant to then-state lawmaker Marcelo Freixo in 2008, as he presided over a special committee investigating militias in Rio's state assembly. Freixo's final report indicted 226 suspected militia members and politicians and government employees, including Domingos Brazão.
The brutal assassination of the 38-year-old Black, bisexual Rio de Janeiro city councilwoman shook Brazil profoundly and reverberated across the world.
