Brazil Muslims back probe of 10 for terror suspicions

SAO PAULO – A Muslim leader in Brazil says the country’s Islamic community supports police actions against a group of people suspected of planning attacks during the Olympics as long as the investigations are conducted in a transparent way.

Sheikh Jihad Hassan Hammadeh is the president of the Ethics Committee of the Sao Paulo-based National Union of Islamic Entities.

He said Friday that the community is concerned about the Thursday arrest of 10 Brazilians police said had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and discussed on social media the possibility of staging attacks during next month’s Olympics.

He said the National Union of Islamic Entities supports the Federal Police Department’s investigation. But he said there must be concrete evidence and transparency to ensure citizens or groups are not unjustly persecuted.