Brazil police arrest 10 for 'planning Olympic terrorism' ahead of Rio games

The group is reported to have tried to make contact with the so-called Islamic State

Rio police on patrol ahead of the Olympics near the city's new tram system (Getty)

Police in Brazil have arrested 10 people alleged to be planning a large-scale terrorist attack at the upcoming Rio de Janeiro Olympic games.

Two more suspects are said to be on the loose just two weeks before the Olympics begin on 5 August.

The group is not thought to be directly linked to the so-called Islamic State (Isis), but is reported to have tried to make contact with the extremist organisation.

The arrests were made in 10 different states including Sao Paolo and Parana in the south of the country.

Brazilian Justice Minister Alexandre Moraes has said all the suspects are from Brazil and one is a minor, according to Associated Press.

The detainees are suspected of pledging allegiance to Isis through social media apps and discussing the use of weapons to carry out an attack.

Mr Moraes said there was no specific target for an attack and an emergency cabinet meeting has been called.

“They were complete amateurs and ill-prepared” to actually launch at attack, Mr Moraes said. “A few days ago they said they should start practicing martial arts, for example.”

However Mr Moraes said even disorganized groups should be taken seriously.

Last week, a top military aide in Brazil said concerns about terrorism had “reached a higher level” after the Bastille Day attack in Nice.

On Tuesday, a Brazilian jihadist group, not yet confirmed to be the same group that has been arrested, became the first in South America to pledge allegiance to Isis.

According to extremist monitoring group SITE Intelligence, a channel on the Telegram app called Ansar al-Khilafah #Brazil has posted a message of support for Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.