A 19-year-old man was arrested in the state of Ceará, in northeastern Brazil, on suspicion of belonging to the Comando Vermelho (CV), one of the country's largest criminal factions, and of threatening candidates to block electoral campaigns in Maranguape, in the Fortaleza metropolitan area. Ricardo Vasconcelos da Cruz was located on Wednesday (26) in the Cachoeira district and booked while still in the act, according to G1. On Thursday (27), the state court upheld his detention at a custody hearing, the session in which a judge reviews the legality of an arrest.

Timeline of the case

• Wednesday (26): the Civil Police locate and arrest Ricardo in the Cachoeira district after identifying social media posts carrying political threats;
• Thursday (27): at a custody hearing, the state court reviews the case and keeps the suspect in jail;
• Friday (28): police say the investigation continues in order to identify other people involved.

According to the investigation, the order for the threats came from Johnathan Amaro Cabral, known as "Bodo", described as a Comando Vermelho boss and one of Ceará's most wanted criminals. He is on the run in Rio de Janeiro, the Civil Police said. Diario do Nordeste reported that Ricardo's arrest was carried out by civil police officers following intelligence work.

At the police station, the young man was formally booked for membership in a criminal organization and for making threats in a political and electoral context. In upholding the detention, the judge at the custody hearing said the conduct under investigation "is not a mere individual threat or a simple expression of opinion", as it would directly affect "public peace, the safety of the community and the exercise of democratic political rights".

"The post contained visual elements and corporate language directly alluding to the criminal faction Comando Vermelho - CV (the number '2' hand gesture, a red flag emoji and the jargon 'directorate'), ordering the compulsory end of electoral debate under explicit threat to the life and physical integrity of party colleagues and local citizens", the judge added in the ruling, according to G1.

The case comes amid a series of episodes of faction activity during Ceará's electoral period. G1 reported that a faction charged 200,000 reais from allies of a mayor to allow campaigning in one municipality, and that a police operation against organized crime interference in the elections led to the arrest of three city council members. The reporting published so far relies on the police account and court records; the suspect's defense has not commented publicly.

Ricardo Vasconcelos da Cruz remains in custody at the disposal of the courts as a suspect, with the right to the presumption of innocence. The next step is the continuation of the Civil Police investigation, which is working to identify others involved in the threats. No date has been announced for the conclusion of the inquiry; once it ends, it will be up to the Public Prosecutor's Office to decide whether to file charges.