Brazil deploys elite force in Confederations Cup host cities

Brasilia - Brazil deployed members of an elite security force in cities hosting international football matches, in the wake of massive anti-government protests that threaten to disrupt the FIFA Confedrations Cup.

Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff ordered the deployment of Brazil’s National Public Security Force (FNSP) to the cities of Fortaleza, Salvador, Belo Horizonte, the capital Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro, all of which are hosting Confederations Cup games this month, the ministry of Justice said on its official website on Wednesday.

The FNSP troops will bolster the already-high security measures put in place during the large-scale international event, as well as during the Catholic Church-organised World Youth Day to be held in Rio de Janeiro in July, the ministry said.

In Brasilia, governor Agnelo Queiroz asked the national force to particularly increase security in and around government buildings.

Officials of the National Congress in Brasilia asked Queiroz Monday to deploy the force after demonstrations were held outside the legislative building.

The FNSP, created in 2006, serves as a kind of military police during protests or emergency situations that threaten public order.

Brazilians, angered by a recent hike in transport fares and a lack of public services while the government spends millions on global sporting events, including next year’s World Cup and the coming Olympic Games in 2016, took to the streets in the past couple of weeks.