Suspect in 'Porta dos Fundos' Attack Flees to Russia

[Judi Lynn]

Police investigate 'participation and perhaps leadership' by Eduardo Fauz

Jan.3.2020 1:11PM
Anna Virginia Balloussier
RIO DE JANEIRO
Businessman Eduardo Fauzi Richard Cerquise, who police suspect participated in the Porta dos Fundos attack on Christmas Eve, fled to Russia on Sunday (29).

He took an Air France flight that afternoon and, after a stop in Paris, landed in Moscow, according to the Rio Civil Police.



Eduardo Fauzi Richard Cerquise - Divulgação/Polícia Civil

. . .

Police issued his arrest warrant one day after his trip to Russia. Fauzi was identified as one of the men who spoke on behalf of an integralist faction that threw two Molotov cocktails into the building where the Porta dos Fundos company operates in southern Rio.

The comedy group was targeted after a Christmas special that portrayed Jesus as homosexual.

Translated by Kiratiana Freelon

https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/internacional/en/brazil/2020/01/suspect-in-porta-dos-fundos-attack-flees-to-russia.shtml

[Judi Lynn]

1. Outlaw takes authorship of attack on Backdoor and asks for asylum in Russia

Eduardo Fauzi Richard Cerquise took responsibility for the attack

01/04/2019, 111h18, Photo: Press Release / G1.



Wanted by the Rio de Janeiro Civil Police since Tuesday, 41-year-old economist and businessman Eduardo Fauzi Richard Cerquise took over on Friday the attack on the video production company Porta dos Fundo headquarters in Humaitá, South Zone from Rio on Christmas Eve and said he will apply for political asylum in Russia, where he traveled on December 29.

In an interview with "Project Collaborate", Fauzi also stated that he knew in advance about the issuance of an arrest warrant against him, executed in police operation last Tuesday. He was not found and since Thursday, with the information that he traveled to Moscow, his name has been included in Interpol's wanted list.

- I'm the typical asylum seeker. But the decision is political. If there is no political interest, they will not asylum me, ”Fauzi told the portal, saying that he spent the first three days of the busy year to forward his request to the Russian authorities.

With 20 previous notes on his criminal record, Fauzi was recognized by investigators in security camera videos recorded after the attack. He appears in Botafogo, a neighborhood next to Humaitá, while disembarking and removing a tape that protected the license plate of the car used in the attack. Police believe he drove the vehicle used in the action that involved at least four other people.

- They thought I was too stupid not to cover my face and not change my voice, but I was connected enough to be warned of the warrant in time to travel outside the country - Fauzi explained to "Collaborate".


Asked about the objectives of the attack, Fauzi, who is affiliated with the PSL, said he acted solely for political reasons. In the interview and in a video released during the week, he expressed dissatisfaction with the backdoor Christmas special ( "Christ's First Temptation" ), in which Jesus Christ was portrayed as homosexual.


"The act was not motivated by any electoral or financial reason, as is evident," said Fauzi, who attributed the origin of the $ 139,000 seized by police at one of his addresses to his father's work in commerce.


Fauzi has a purchased return ticket to Brazil and is scheduled for January 29th. He has a wife and son in Moscow and has traveled to the Russian capital three times over the past year. The Ministry of Justice awaits a request from the Rio Court of Justice (TJ-RJ) to forward the Brazilian's extradition request to Russia. The judge responsible for the case is Flávio Itabaiana, from the 27th Criminal Court of Rio de Janeiro.

Google translation:
https://campos24horas.com.br/noticia/foragido-assume-autoria-de-ataque-ao-porta-dos-fundos-e-diz-que-pedira-asilo-na-russia