Marielle Franco murder | Brazillian police make arrests over the 2018 murder of the councilwoman

Sources with Brazil’s federal police have informed news outlets that the men suspected of ordering the killing of Rio de Janeiro councilwoman Marielle Franco have been arrested - according to the Associated Press.

The AP notes that the two sources know about the investigation, which saw Franco killed after leaving an event to empower young black women. The murder, which occurred on the evening of March 14 2018, saw a car pull up alongside Franco and open fire, leading to the deaths of Franco and her driver, Anderson Gomes.

Congressman Chiquinho Brazao and his brother Domingos Brazao, a member of Rio state’s accounts watchdog, were detained on suspicion of ordering the hit on the 38-year-old, with the pair reportedly having connections to criminal groups known as militias, who illegally charge residents for various services, including protection.

The head of Rio’s police when the murder took place, Rivaldo Barbosa, was also arrested for alleged obstruction of the investigation, the sources said.

However, the same sources did not make clear what their suspected motive was in ordering the killing. Although at the time of her murder, Franco worked as an assistant to then-state lawmaker Marcelo Freixo in 2008 as he presided over a special committee investigating militias in Rio’s state assembly. Mr Freixo’s final report indicted 226 suspected militia members, politicians and government employees, including Domingos Brazao.

On Wednesday, Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski said Brazil’s Supreme Court had validated a plea bargain for the gunman who confessed to Franco’s murder after his arrest in 2019. His confession led to Sunday’s arrests.

Known universally by her first name, Marielle Franco grew up in a favela herself in the Mare neighbourhood near Rio’s international airport. She became a human rights activist there after her friend was killed by a stray bullet in a shootout between police and drug traffickers.

She worked for a state lawmaker investigating organised crime, then went on to win a seat in Rio’s city council in 2016. She kept receiving and sharing complaints of police abuse until days before she was killed.