WASHINGTON/SAO PAULO, Oct 2 (Reuters) – The United States suspended consular services at its embassy and consulates in Brazil on Friday over unspecified security concerns days before the country’s presidential election, and Australia said it had closed its embassy in Brasilia after the US alert.
The State Department did not elaborate on the security issues or link them to Sunday’s election.
“We are working closely with our Brazilian counterparts to address the security concerns,” a department spokesperson said in an email.
The department did not say when the consular services would resume.
“Consular Services in the US Embassy and Consulates in Brazil will be suspended starting Friday, October 2 due to security concerns,” it said in a statement Thursday. “US citizens seeking emergency assistance during this time should not come to the Embassy, the Consulates, or other US diplomatic facilities.”
Australia’s ambassador to Brazil, Sophie Davies, said on social media that the Australian embassy in Brasilia would also be closed on Friday due to security concerns, citing the alert issued by the US.
“We also advise avoiding the US Embassy, consulates and other diplomatic facilities in Brazil and surrounding areas,” Davies said.
Brazil’s foreign ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Brazilians will vote for president on Sunday in a race that will determine whether Latin America’s largest nation follows the conservative shift that has swept the region or charts its own course.
Leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has warned of foreign interference in the election, including fresh tariffs from Washington.
Brazilian intelligence officials this month briefed a French and German delegation in Brasilia on alleged US and Russian interference before Brazil’s election. The visit underlined growing concern on both sides of the Atlantic over US President Donald Trump’s efforts to support like-minded candidates. It also shows how potential targets of US meddling are now comparing notes.
Violent crime has also dominated the list of voter concerns in Brazilian election polls, prompting candidates to pledge tougher security measures.
(Reporting by Doina Chiacu in Washington and Gabriel Araujo in Sao Paulo; editing by Michelle Nichols and Sanjeev Miglani)
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