SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Brazilian police arrested 10 fugitives who were trying to make their way into Sao Paulo’s Interlagos circuit for the weekend’s Formula One grand prix, the state government said.
Those arrested include people fleeing convictions for crimes such as robbery and paedophilia, said Sao Paulo’s public security department which added the operation was part of a program it named ‘The Great Wall of SP’.
“It was a big win as this was the first time the program was tested at a major international event,” Public Security Secretary Guilherme Derrite said.
According to Formula One, 267,000 people attended the grand prix across the weekend, a 13% increase from last year and a record for Sao Paulo.
Interlagos is one of the most atmospheric circuits on Formula One’s calendar but has grappled with security problems in the past, including 2009 world champion Jenson Button being the target of an attempted armed attack there in 2010.
In 2017, Mercedes team members were robbed at gunpoint in Sao Paulo, and Pirelli and McLaren cancelled a tyre test scheduled for the circuit due to security reasons.
The circuit has been renovated in recent years, including a new paddock, and secured last week a five-year contract extension to host the grand prix until at least 2030.
The state government said police managed to detect the outlaws among fans thanks to a data-sharing initiative set up by authorities and race organisers.
Interpol also shared data to help them identify potential international fugitives but all those arrested were Brazilians, the government said.
Spectators invaded the track before the end of Sunday’s main race, with organisers recognising safety failures and committing to fix them for next year.
(Reporting by Gabriel Araujo, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
