The United States suspended consular services at its embassy and consulates across Brazil on Friday, citing unspecified security concerns, just two days before Brazilians vote in a tightly contested presidential election. Australia followed within hours, closing its embassy in Brasilia and advising its citizens to steer clear of American diplomatic facilities. The abrupt, coordinated pullback has deepened the unease surrounding Sunday's vote and added fresh strain to an already tense relationship between Washington and Brasilia. Washington announced the move in a security alert issued Thursday by the U.S. Embassy in Brazil. The alert said consular services at the embassy and consulates would be suspended starting Friday, October 2. American citizens seeking emergency assistance were told not to come to the embassy, the consulates, or any other U.S. diplomatic facilities during the suspension, and to contact the appropriate duty officer instead. The State Department offered few details about what prompted the decision. A spokesperson said the department was working closely with Brazilian counterparts to address the security concerns, adding that American embassies and consulates routinely issue alerts notifying citizens of local threats and developments. The department did not describe the nature of the threat, did not say when consular services would resume, and did not link the suspension to Sunday's election. Australia's ambassador to Brazil, Sophie Davies, announced on social media that the Australian embassy in Brasilia would also close on Friday, pointing to the American alert. She advised Australians to avoid the U.S. embassy, consulates, and the areas around them. Brazil's Federal Police said Friday afternoon that they had executed preventive search and seizure warrants in Sao Paulo and in the Federal District surrounding the capital, Brasilia. The operation was part of an investigation into suspected plans that could threaten U.S. diplomatic facilities in Brazil, police said, and followed cooperation with foreign intelligence agencies. But investigators said they had found no evidence corroborating the initially reported threat and had not identified any suspects linked to criminal organizations. The investigation continued after officers seized communications equipment. Brazil's foreign ministry declined to comment on the American and Australian decisions. On Sunday, October 4, Brazilians will choose between incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is seeking another term, and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro. The elder Bolsonaro is serving a 27-year prison sentence for attempting a coup. Recent polls show the two frontrunners essentially tied. The contest will decide whether Latin America's largest nation follows the conservative shift across the region that President Donald Trump has often cheered from Washington. If neither candidate wins more than 50 percent of valid votes, a runoff is scheduled for October 25. The suspensions land at a moment of open friction between Washington and the Lula government. Lula and his allies have accused the Trump administration of trying to sway the election, pointing to newly imposed U.S. tariffs and to Washington's efforts to send officials to Brazil to discuss electoral integrity. Edinho Silva, the president of Lula's Workers' Party, called the closures "unprecedented." "It makes no sense at all," he said. "It's one of Trump's ways of trying to influence Brazilian public opinion." The White House has rejected the allegations of election interference. President Donald Trump has publicly praised Flavio Bolsonaro, though he has not formally endorsed a candidate. Diplomatic missions periodically scale back operations over security warnings, but a coordinated pullback by two countries on the eve of a national election is unusual. The State Department gave no date for reopening. With the polls showing a dead heat and a possible runoff three weeks away, any suggestion of outside pressure is likely to dominate the campaign's final hours.