MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bus burning rampage by criminal gangs in Sao Paulo

Urban buses returned to the streets of Brazil's major city Sao Paulo late Thursday after having suffered violent attacks during three nights running and following guarantees of special protection from elected authorities and police forces.

The Military Police command and Sao Paulo City's government promised intensified patrolling along public transport main routes plus special plain clothes agents in buses among other measures which were accepted by the private transport associations.

The wave of attacks and violence is blamed on the "First Command of the Capital" a criminal gang organization that operates from inside Sao Paulo's penitentiaries and which last May was responsible for dozens of simultaneous uprisings in jails and attacks on police targets which left 170 people dead and paralyzed for two days Sao Paulo the richest and most populous state in the Brazilian union.

In this second wave attacks on 68 buses -with total losses- have been reported, although transport companies estimate the number to be higher. Tens of other units have suffered shots and stoning.

Until assurances were given late Thursday, 85% of the Sao Paulo bus fleet remained in their parking lots fearing further attacks. The few buses that did circulate did so in broad light and along main routes. Most commuters went to work walking, on bicycle or with their private cars causing a giant traffic chaos in downtown Sao Paulo, Brazil's industrial hub.

Metropolitan Sao Paulo has a population of over 20 million and buses transport daily 5.5 million commuters.

Sao Paulo's Military Police Chief Eliseu Eclair Texeira Borges said that in the first two nights a total of 106 attacks had been reported mostly against buses, followed by banks. Attacks involved the use of firearms plus home made or Molotov bombs, and in some of the targets painted graffiti read "down with jail oppression".

The Sao Paulo press reports that the three nights running attacks left seven people killed, off duty policemen, prison guards and close relatives.