Rio Mayor Slams State Over ‘Terrible’ Security Job Ahead of 2016 Olympics

Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes stated that security in the Olympics is not the city’s responsibility in Brazil, it’s a state-level responsibility.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes accused the local officials on Monday of doing a terrible job of ensuring security in the Brazilian state as it prepares to host the Summer Olympics.

Rio has seen a wave of violent crime in the past few weeks that culminated in police greeting people arriving at the Rio airport with a "Welcome to Hell" sign.

"This is not the city’s responsibility in Brazil, it’s a state-level responsibility," Paes told the US television channel CNN. "I think they do a terrible job on security before the games."

Last month, Rio de Janeiro state governor declared a state of financial emergency and requested assistance from the federal authorities. In late June, the federal government disbursed $895 million in security funds to help the state address the financial disaster.