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Summary In a brief statement, the military police said Col. Fabio Almeida de Souza has been replaced.
RIO DE JANEIRO: (AP) - Rio de Janeiro s military police officials say the commander of an elite division of riot police has been dismissed.
In a brief statement Monday, the military police said Col. Fabio Almeida de Souza has been replaced.
It didn t provide the reason for Souza s dismissal, but news reports say he is suspected of participating in a WhatsApp chat among officers in which they allegedly praised Nazism. He s also suspected of allegedly defending the use of violence against protesters during the demonstrations that swept Brazil in 2013.
G1 internet portal cites Rio state s top security official, Jose Mariano Beltrame, as saying he was "horrified" by the messages in the chat and is seeking a police investigation into Souza.
Beltrame was speaking at the swearing-in ceremony of Rio s re-elected governor, Luiz Fernando Pezao.
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