Suspect of making death and rape threats to Minas Gerais deputies is arrested in Pernambuco

The main suspect of doing rape and death threats against female deputies Minas Gerais was arrested preventively this Tuesday morning (7). The man was found in Olinda, a city in Pernambuco, and is accused of having led a series of threats against state deputies Lohanna França (PV), Bella Gonçalves (PSOL) and Beatriz Cerqueira (PT).

The arrest was the result of a task force organized by the Public Ministry of Minas Gerais, with support from the Civil and Military Police of Minas Gerais and Gaeco (Special Action Group for the Repression of Organized Crime) of Pernambuco.

After an investigation that began in 2023, the Public Ministry and the Civil Police discovered that the attacks were linked to online forums known as “chans”. Members of the forums shared content inciting violence, pedophilia and necrophilia, with images of rape, murder, mutilation and child sexual exploitation.

In August last year, authorities managed to identify some of the users involved and the main leader of the group, known as “Leon” or “Grow”. He was identified as responsible for the threats against female deputies and for coercing teenagers to harm themselves and send nude photos.

“Leon” was arrested this Tuesday and had computers, phones and flash drives seized. The suspect will be transferred to the Minas Gerais prison system to respond to the process.

Remember case

At the end of 2023, several Minas Gerais politicians reported a series of death threats and corrective rape on the internet. In total, at least 8 parliamentarians were threatened.

In the Legislative Assembly of Minas Gerais, the deputy Lohanna França made two complaints in less than two months. She reported that she had received the threats in her institutional email. Deputies Beatriz Cerqueira (PT) and Bella Gonçalves (PSOL) also filed a complaint against threats received.

At the same time, councilors Iza Lourença and Cida Falabella, both from PSOL, were also victims of threats. In 2022, state deputy Andreia de Jesus (PT) had also been the target of a similar attack.

Inside, councilors Cláudia Guerra (PDT) and Amanda Gondim (PDT), from Uberlândia, in the Triângulo Mineiro, stated that they had received an email threatening “corrective rape”, in September 2023.

In March this year, the prosecutor and coordinator of the Special Action Group to Combat Cybercrimes (Gaeciber), Mauro Ellovitch, spoke to O TEMPO about the investigations. He explained that the use of encrypted communication and providers outside the country are the main obstacles to identifying the perpetrators, who remain at large.

The Public Ministry did not say whether the suspect arrested this Tuesday (7) would also be accused of committing the crime against these parliamentarians.