Suspected drug gang members burned at least seven commuter buses and a tractor trailer on major highways in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday, apparently in response to police raids in slums controlled by the criminals. The suspects ordered all the people off the bus and truck before torching them and no one was injured, authorities said. Burning buses is a common form of protest and intimidation carried out by gangs in Brazil. By mid-afternoon, at least 40 suspects were detained and more than 30 guns confiscated in the Cidade Alta slum. There was no immediate word on injuries among suspects or bystanders in the shantytown amid the fighting between gangs and police.

Source: dna May 02, 2017 17:48 UTC