Bolsonaro supporters storm key govt buildings in Brazil

At least 170 people were arrested after supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro stormed government offices.

Police said the authorities have taken control of three main government buildings -- the Supreme Court, the presidential palace and Congressional buildings.

According to the police, the government buildings involved in Monday's breach have been cleared of protesters.

Executive secretary of the Brazilian Justice Minister, Ricardo Cappelli, vowed to punish all those involved in breaching the government buildings.

"I'm in the field, walking on the streets and personally commanding the security forces, fulfilling the mission I received from the President of the Republic. Nobody will go unpunished. The democratic rule of law will not be walled up by criminals," Cappelli said.

On Sunday, supporters of Bolsonaro breached security barriers and broke into Brazil's Congress, Supreme Court and the Planalto Presidential Palace.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was not in the building at the time.

However, a team of officials gathered for the newly-elected President was working inside the palace when the protesters entered the building.

The raid by Bolsonaro supporters comes after Brazil's Justice Minister Flavio Dino on Saturday authorised the country's armed forces to set up barriers and guard the congressional building due to the continued presence of Bolsonaro supporters, as per the news report.

The report said supporters of Bolsonaro have been camping out in Brasilia since Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took over as Brazilian President. Since Bolsonaro's defeat in the elections, thousands of his supporters have gathered at military barracks in Brazil, calling on the army to step in as they claim that the election was stolen.

United States President Joe Biden condemned the "assault on democracy" in Brazil and stressed that the democratic institutions of Brazil have full support of the United States.

"I condemn the assault on democracy and on the peaceful transfer of power in Brazil. Brazil's democratic institutions have our full support and the will of the Brazilian people must not be undermined. I look forward to continuing to work with @LulaOficial," Biden tweeted.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the "assault on Brazil's democratic institutions." He emphasised that the will of the Brazilian people and democratic institutions must be respected.

"I condemn the assault on Brazil's democratic institutions that took place today. The will of the Brazilian people and democratic institutions must be respected. I have full confidence that it will. Brazil is a great democratic country," Guterres said in a tweet.

Meanwhile, Minister-Chief of the Secretariat of Social Communication for Brazil's President Paulo Pimenta shared a video on Twitter giving a walking tour of his office after Bolsonaro supporters entered the Planalto palace. The video shows overturned furniture, destroyed computers and monitors and damaged artwork.

"I'm in my office on the second floor of the Planalto Palace. As you can see everything was destroyed," Pimenta in a video said.

He asserted that those involved in the act need to be treated as "criminals."

Paulo Pimenta further said, "This is a criminal thing that was done here, this is a revolting thing. Works of art ... Look what the vandals did here, the chaos the vandals made here. Destroyed works of art, the country's heritage.

He stressed that it is "unbelievable what has been done in the Palace."