Prosecutors indict seven for attack on bus in Maranhão.

Luciano Nascimento - Agência Brasil

Brasilia – The Public Ministry of Maranhão (MP-MA) today (20) filed charges against seven accused of organizing and participating in the attack on a bus on January 3, in São José de Ribamar, in the metropolitan region of São Luís – the vehicle was set on fire and five people were injured. One of them, 6-year-old Ana Clara Santos Souza, suffered burns on 95% of her body and died two days later.

In the indictment, the head of the 1st Public Prosecutor's Office of São José de Ribamar, Geraulides Mendonça Castro, emphasizes that the injuries caused by the fire to Ana Clara caused great suffering to the victim and, even so, none of the defendants gave up on committing the crime or tried to minimize the suffering of the girl or the other victims.

Jorge Henrique Amorim Santos (Dragão), Wlderley Moraes (Paiakan), Hilton John Alves Araújo (Praguinha), Giheliton de Jesus Santos Silva (Gil), Samuel Rodrigues Alves (Anel), Thallyson Vitor Santos Pinto and Larravadiere Silva Rodrigues de Sousa Júnior (Júnior Black) were indicted.

In addition to the murder of Ana Clara, the accused will also face charges for the attempted murder of Lohanny Beatriz Santos Costa and Juliane Carvalho Santos, Ana Clara's sister and mother, respectively, and of Abianci Silva dos Santos and Márcio Ronney da Cruz Nunes, who were also on the bus and were burned.

According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, the defendants decided to organize the attack after receiving an order from inside the Pedrinhas Penitentiary Complex, from the criminal faction "Bonde dos 40". Following this, a meeting was held among the defendants to divide the tasks. One of them entered the bus and threatened the driver with a revolver, forcing the vehicle to stop. Then, the other defendants – among whom were teenagers – who were hiding, set fire to the bus and threatened the passengers.

The Public Prosecutor's Office also initiated proceedings requesting the provisional detention of the four teenagers who participated in the attack. According to the MP-MA (Public Prosecutor's Office of Maranhão), the teenagers are members of the criminal organization "Bonde dos 40".

Sansão dos Santos Sales and Julian Jeferson Sousa da Silva were not indicted by the Public Prosecutor's Office, as no involvement on their part in the crimes was identified. The Public Prosecutor's Office requested the immediate release of the two, who had been preventively detained after the attack.

As a measure to address the crisis in the state's prison system, the government of Maranhão today began transferring inmates from the Pedrinhas Penitentiary Complex to federal maximum security prisons. Due to the crisis, prison officers in Maranhão are threatening to start a strike next week. A general assembly has been called for the afternoon of next Wednesday (22).

The largest prison in the state, Pedrinhas houses 2.200 inmates in 1.700 spaces. According to a report by the National Council of Justice (CNJ), last year alone, 60 inmates under state custody were murdered inside the complex.