Brazilian police arrest suspected masterminds of Rio councilwoman's 2018 murder

Three individuals, including federal deputy Chiquinho Brazo and his brother Domingos, a councilor on the Rio de Janeiro state audit court (TCE), have been arrested in connection with the murder of Marielle Franco. Rivaldo Barbosa, a former Rio police chief, was also targeted in the operation. The arrests came after six years since Franco and her driver Anderson Gomes were killed in a drive-by shooting in central Rio de Janeiro on March 14, 2018. Franco was an outspoken advocate for black and LGBTQ rights, as well as a defender of the poor and a critic of police brutality. Both Chiquinho Brazo and his brother Domingos are suspected of ordering the hit against Franco and have alleged connections to criminal groups known as militias. The assassination of Franco shocked Brazil and gained international attention.