Amateur ISIS-loyalists arrested for 'plotting terror' during Rio Olympics

The Brazilian Justice Minister Alexandre Moraes said that the group were in the planning stages of an attack and were caught well ahead of time, reported BBC.

"There was an order between them to start training in martial arts and to (obtain) ammunition, weapons with which they could carry out an act," de Moraes told a hastily called press conference.

"This was in progress. One of them had got in contact with an underground weapons site in Paraguay, asking to buy an AK47" assault rifle, he said.

"This was crucial because it proves an act of preparation."

The ten were caught across 10 different provinces of Brazil after they had let easy trails through communication via Whatsapp, while two more are being pursued. Alexandre Moraes described the group as "absolute amateurs" and "ill-prepared" to launch an attack.

In a statement, the justice ministry said that it had launched "Operation Hashtag to break up a group involved in the promotion of Islamic State and the preparation for carrying out terrorist attacks and other criminal acts."

Mr Moraes attempted to calm down any nerves that could arise from the attack. An emergency cabinet meeting has been called to discuss the preparations, while additional funds have been sanctioned towards security arrangements, it is learnt.

Moraes also stated that there was a "minimal probability of a terrorist act during the Rio Olympics."

While not significant in itself, the arrests only provide an additional backdrop to the ever-increasing list of negatives this Olympics has had to endure – Zika, protests, readiness of facilities, and major doping scandals.