United States designates Primeiro Comando da Capital and Comando Vermelho as terrorist organisations

Key facts

• The United States (US) announced the designation of Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and Comando Vermelho as terrorist organisations.
• The Foreign Terrorist Organization label for these two Brazilian criminal networks will be effective starting June 5.
• The groups were previously assigned to the category of Specially Designated Global Terrorists under the authority of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
• The designations are part of the US administration's approach known as the Donroe Doctrine, a variation of the 19th-century Monroe Doctrine.
• Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva launched a $2bn initiative in March to target the financial underpinnings of criminal networks including the PCC and Comando Vermelho.