Newly inaugurated state Governor Sergio Cabral said on Monday he wanted Brazil's government to send federal troops to Rio de Janeiro immediately to help fight gang violence following attacks last week that left people 19 dead.
The attacks have left many here jittery and hurt tourism.
Civic authorities are concerned about the city's image as it prepares to host several Latin American presidents at a Mercosur Summit and this year's Pan American Games.
"I think it's important they [the troops] go immediately," Cabral told reporters at President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's swearing in to a second term in Brasilia.
Silva addressed the violence in Rio in his inauguration speech.
"This is terrorism and has to be treated with a strong policy and the strong hand of the Brazilian army," Silva said.
Cabral, who is governor of Rio de Janeiro state, said he would meet yesterday with the National Public Security Secretary Luiz Fernando Correa and that a formal request would be made today.
The attacks, in which criminals set fire to buses and opened fire with guns on police stations, have been attributed to Rio's drug gangs responding to increased pressure from anti-criminal militias, reportedly run by former and active duty police officers and soldiers
Sworn in earlier in the day in Rio, Cabral vowed to restore order to Rio de Janeiro.
Eight of the 19 people killed were passengers on a bus and their bodies were charred beyond recognition. Two police officers were shot dead at their posts.
"These cowards will have the response of a serious government that demands order," Cabral said, taking a jab at predecessor Rosinha Matheus, who had long rejected federal assistance in combating the drug gangs that control many of the city's nearly 700 shantytowns.
Rio is one of the most violent cities in the world, with a homicide rate of 50 per 100,000 people.
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