Russia denies diplomat killed armed carjacker in Rio

Russian diplomats in Rio de Janeiro disputed police statements that a vice-consul at the embassy had shot and killed a man who tried to rob him near the Olympic park.

The incident occurred on the Avenida das Americas, the main thoroughfare between the Olympic Park and the city centre, at about midday on Thursday - just after the torch relay had passed by the street on its way to the Olympic stadium.

According to the Globo newspaper, the vice-consul was waiting in traffic in his car with his wife and daughter when he was approached by two men, each on a motorcycle.

One suspect broke the driver’s window on the car - believed to be a BMW X6 - with the gun and demanded the man hand over his watch. But the man grabbed the attacker, hauled him into the car and the suspect was killed with his own gun. The other motorcyclist fled.

“The vice-consul got into a physical confrontation with the aggressor, and during the fight, the assailant’s gun was fired several times,“ a police statement said.

Such street muggings are common in Rio de Janeiro, especially in areas with heavy traffic, where motorcycles can drive in between lanes, attack motorists and escape easily.

Conflicting reports

But there were conflicting reports about the identity of the victim on Friday, with Russian diplomatic officials denying any staff from the consulate had been involved and other reports suggesting the victim had been in possession of fake identity papers.

In a statement to the Guardian the consulate said: “The embassy of Russia in Brazil informs that no representative of the Russian consul general in Rio de Janeiro was involved in the attempted assault that ended with the death of the suspect in Barra da Tijuca this Thursday.

“The officials of the diplomatic mission are Russian citizens with Russian names, which was not the case [in Thursday’s incident].”

The Russian Tass news agency meanwhile quoted Vladimir Tokmakov, Russia’s consul general in Rio, saying no member of staff had “anything to do with the incident”.

But Mr Tokmakov said he could not rule out that whoever was involved in the reported incident could have introduced himself as a member of diplomatic staff.

A later report by the Brazilian Folha.uol.com website claimed that the man in the car was a Brazilian with fake identity papers who was passing himself off as a Russian diplomat.

The body of the assailant lay in the street for five hours, according to Sky News, as police began their investigation.

Crime is a major concern for locals and Olympic visitors. Several athletes have been mugged during test events. Expensive cars are a common target. The archbishop of Rio has twice been carjacked since 2014.

The Guardian