Brazilian Federal Police delegate Michel Brasil Saliba killed during operation in Rio Grande do Sul

Federal Police delegate Michel Brasil Saliba, chief of the Chuí office on Brazil's border with Uruguay, was shot by a Military Police officer on 2 July 2026 while executing a search‑and‑seizure warrant in Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul. The warrant targeted the officer’s wife, who was present in the apartment. Saliba sustained multiple gunshot wounds and died the following morning at Hospital São Vicente de Paulo. A second federal agent was injured but has since been released from care.

The Military Police officer, who was on personal leave at the time, fired the shots, was arrested on the spot and is being investigated by the Federal Police. The Federal Police director‑general, Andrei Rodrigues, declared three days of official mourning and expressed condolences to Saliba’s family, friends, and colleagues. Saliba, a native of Bagé, will be buried there after a funeral service attended by local officials.

Authorities from both the Federal Police and the state Brigada Militar have issued statements affirming their commitment to legality and the preservation of life, while the case remains under investigation.