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Brazilian authorities announced on Sunday night that the rioters who stormed the country's Congress, Supreme Court, and presidential offices earlier in the day have been cleared out. It

took more than five hours to clear out the thousands of rioters, authorities said, and in an attempt to break up the crowd outside, police fired rubber bullets and tear gas canisters from

helicopters. Officials in Brasília, the capital, are now investigating the damage done to the buildings, as well as reports that the rioters, who are supporters of former Brazilian President

Jair Bolsonaro, attacked journalists and carried "bladed weapons," _The New York Times_ reports. Bolsonaro is a right-wing populist who has falsely claimed that he lost

October's election to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, better known as Lula, due to voter fraud. Lula was in São Paulo when the protesters first started entering the government

buildings, and he accused Bolsonaro of having "triggered" the assault. In response, Bolsonaro, who is in Florida, tweeted that there was "no proof" of this, and said

demonstrations should never involve the "destruction and invasions of public buildings, like what occurred today." SUBSCRIBE TO THE WEEK Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts

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least 200 people have been arrested in connection with the rioting, Brazil's justice minister, Flávio Dino, said. He told reporters that law enforcement officials have determined that

about 40 buses brought rioters to Brasília, and those who paid for these trips will be held responsible. President Biden tweeted his support of Lula, saying he looks forward to

"continuing to work" with him, and condemned 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." Several South American leaders agreed, with President Alberto Fernandez of Argentina saying "democracy is the

only political system that guarantees freedoms and obliges us to respect the popular verdict," and President Luis Lacalle Pou of Uruguay tweeting, "We regret and condemn the

actions carried out in Brazil that threaten democracy and institutions."