U.S. designates Brazil’s Red Command and First Capital Command as foreign terrorist organizations

The U.S. State Department announces that it will designate two major Brazilian criminal groups as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs). Multiple outlets report the decision targets the Red Command and the First Capital Command, described as among Brazil’s largest drug gangs. The announcement is made on Thursday, with several sources stating the designation is scheduled to take effect early next month. One report says the designation will begin on June 5, once it is published in the U.S. federal register. PBS and ABC report that Brazil’s government reacts by saying it will view the move as undue interference in its politics. The outlets also characterize the action as part of the U.S. government’s formal FTO designation process, carried out by the State Department. Overall, the reporting focuses on the designation of the two gangs, the timing of when the FTO status becomes effective, and the political response from Brazil. No details across the sources provide expanded descriptions of the gangs’ operations, but all agree on the identification of the two groups and the fact of the U.S. announcement and planned implementation.