Ex-Brazilian Minister Urges U.S. to Release Files on Alleged 1996 Alien Encounter

Aldo Rebelo, a former Brazilian minister of science, technology and innovation, is calling on the United States to declassify its records pertaining to the 1996 Varginha UFO incident. The event, often referred to as Brazil's Roswell, reportedly involved the crash of a craft and the capture of alien beings.

Rebelo stated that it is in the public and national interest for these episodes to be revealed. He noted that the 1996 Varginha Incident underwent a significant military investigation, with statements collected from military personnel and doctors. While some of these records are public, others remain classified, according to Rebelo, who was a federal deputy at the time of the alleged crash.

The incident remains one of Brazil's most famous UFO cases. On January 20, 1996, three individuals reported encountering a strange bipedal creature in Varginha, a city in southeastern Brazil. Witnesses described the being as having brown, oily skin, three horn-like bumps on its head, an ammonia-like odor, and glowing red eyes.

According to witnesses interviewed for the documentary "Moment of Contact," the U.S. Air Force allegedly shot down a cigar-shaped object flying over fields near Varginha a week prior to the creature sighting. The most extraordinary claims suggest that Brazilian authorities captured two beings, one alive and one deceased, and subsequently transferred custody to the U.S. government.

Rebelo highlighted the current U.S. administration's efforts to declassify UFO-related documents and suggested that this presents an opportune moment for Brazil to also release its classified files concerning the Varginha episode and similar events. He suggested that past cooperation between Brazil and the United States in investigating these phenomena has been partially revealed.

The Trump administration did declassify hundreds of federal documents as part of its transparency agenda, but no publicly released records have confirmed a U.S. role in the Varginha incident. The U.S. Air Force has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the matter.