US halts consular services in Brazil ahead of election

WASHINGTON Citing security concerns, the United States suspended consular services, prompting Australia to also close its embassy two days before the country's presidential election, fueling an already uneasy environment ahead of the high-stakes vote. Brazil's Federal Police said they had carried out preventive searches in Sao Paulo and near Brasilia, but had so far found no evidence of a threat or identified any suspects linked to criminal organizations. The State Department did not elaborate on the ⁠security issues or link them to Sunday's election, which has been marked by tensions over alleged foreign interference and strains between Washington and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's government. "We are working closely with our Brazilian counterparts to address the security concerns," a department spokesperson said in an email. The department did not say when the consular services would resume. "Consular Services in the US Embassy and Consulates in Brazil will be suspended, October 2 due to security concerns," it said in a statement Thursday. "US citizens seeking emergency assistance during this time should not come to the Embassy, the Consulates, or other US diplomatic facilities." Australia's ambassador to Brazil, Sophie Davies, said on social media that the Australian embassy in Brasilia would also be closed due to security concerns, citing the alert issued by the US and advising ‌Australians to ⁠avoid US embassies and consulates in Brazil. The State Department made the announcement at a tense moment for US-Brazil relations. Brazilians will vote for president on Sunday in a race that will determine whether Latin America's largest nation follows the conservative shift that US President Donald Trump has often cheered on from Washington.