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Three New Jail Riots Break Out in Brazil
Rioting broke out in three Brazilian jails Sunday night, including two in Sao Paulo state -- the scene of a massive prison revolt two weeks ago -- reigniting fears of new bloodshed.
Police said prisoners in Adriano Marrey jail in Guarulhos, a city adjacent to Brazil's biggest city of Sao Paulo, took 18 people hostage, including guards and visiting relatives.
The jail was one of the main centers of the country's biggest-ever prison uprising last month in which 20,000 inmates in 27 Sao Paulo jails rebelled and 19 were slain by other inmates or police.
Local media said prisoners of Araraquara jail in the same state also staged a riot on Sunday night, while in the central state of Goias 25 armed prisoners held two guards hostage, demanding transfers to other jails or blocks of the same jail.
Police officials said they were negotiating with the leaders of the Guarulhos rebellion, but could not say what their demands were. "The situation is explosive," said a spokesman, who added that the riot was much smaller than in February.
Riot police surrounded the jail in the Goias capital, Goiania, and were preparing to storm the complex if negotiations failed. There were no reports of casualties in any of the three riots.
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