International

Rio police tear down memorial for favela raid victims

AFP

Police in Rio de Janeiro have torn down a small memorial to the 28 people killed last year in an anti-drug trafficking operation in the slum of Jacarezinho, the bloodiest raid in the Brazilian city’s history.

Residents and rights activists had erected the memorial last week to mark the anniversary of the violence on May 6, 2021, when 27 alleged suspects and one officer were killed in an operation that turned the impoverished “favela” neighborhood into a war zone.

The memorial — a small blue wall in a public square — had four rows of plaques bearing the victims’ names.

Police pounded and pried the plaques off the wall with hammers and a crowbar Wednesday, then tied it to an armored vehicle and pulled it down. Video showed the memorial shattering into pieces when it fell.

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Police said in a statement sent to AFP the memorial was “unauthorized” and “illegal.”

It was removed for “defending drug trafficking, given that the 27 dead had police records and demonstrated involvement in criminal activities,” it said.

The family of the policeman killed in the operation had not given permission for his name to appear “alongside those of the drug traffickers,” it added.

Residents and rights groups say the police killed people indiscriminately during the raid, executing some of the victims in cold blood.

Despite an international outcry and a UN call for an independent investigation, just four police and two alleged drug traffickers face charges over the violence that day.

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Most cases were closed for lack of evidence.

“It’s absurd to tear down this tribute,” said Guilherme Pimentel, the ombudsman for the Rio public defender’s office.

“It was not a defense of drug trafficking, it was a memorial to console victims’ families,” he told AFP.

Central America

U.S. extradites Iranian man over alleged sanctions evasion scheme

The United States has extradited from Panama an Iranian national accused of evading economic sanctions against Iran by illegally exporting U.S. technology. He is scheduled to appear this Monday before a court in Seattle.

Reza Dindar, 44, was extradited on April 17 after being detained in Panama since July 2025 on charges related to export control violations between 2011 and 2012, allegedly carried out through companies based in China.

The defendant appeared before a U.S. district court in Seattle, where he faces charges of violating sanctions imposed by the United States on Iran in 1995 during the administration of Bill Clinton. These sanctions prohibit the unauthorized export, re-export, or supply—directly or indirectly—of U.S. goods, technology, or services to Iran or its government.

According to the indictment, between 2010 and 2014, Dindar led the company New Port Sourcing Solutions in Xi’an, China, which allegedly concealed the procurement of U.S. products for shipment to clients in Iran.

International

Elon Musk skips French court appearance over X investigation

Billionaire Elon Musk did not appear this Monday before French authorities, who had summoned him for a voluntary statement as part of an investigation into his social media platform X, prosecutors told AFP.

The platform has been under investigation since early 2025 following complaints from lawmakers alleging bias in its algorithms, which may have altered its functioning and interfered in politics in France.

The probe has since expanded to include other alleged offenses, such as complicity in the distribution of child sexual abuse material, as well as the role of Grok in spreading denialist content and sexually explicit fake images.

In early February, investigators raided X’s offices in Paris. The company has denied any wrongdoing, describing the searches as “political” and “abusive.”

At that time, the Paris prosecutor’s office summoned Musk and former CEO Linda Yaccarino to provide voluntary testimony as those responsible for the platform during the period under investigation.

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Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau also stated that X employees were called to testify as witnesses between April 20 and April 24.

International

Four injured in shooting at Teotihuacán archaeological site in Mexico

Four more people were injured by gunfire during the ആക്രമ attack at Teotihuacán, one of the most emblematic archaeological complexes in Mexico, authorities confirmed.

The Secretary of Security of the State of Mexico, Cristóbal Castañeda, reported that the victims include two Colombian nationals, one Russian, and one Canadian. Additionally, two other individuals were injured due to falls, according to a statement from local authorities.

President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed concern over the incident, stating on social media that “what happened today in Teotihuacán deeply pains us.”

Federal authorities recovered a firearm, a knife, and ammunition at the scene, which remains under the protection of state police and the Guardia Nacional, according to the federal Security Cabinet.

Located about 50 kilometers from Mexico City, Teotihuacán is a major tourist destination frequently visited by both domestic and international travelers.