Brazilian police launch a crackdown against Bolsonaro and several of his former ministers for attempted coup

This Thursday, Brazil’s federal police carried out a major operation that pointed to former President Jair Bolsonaro, as well as several of his close associates, including former ministers and high-ranking military officers, for a coup attempt to stop the inauguration. Of the Government. By Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, in January 2023. Authorities want to clarify whether the people investigated were part of a “criminal organization” that worked in a coup attempt “to depose then-President”. The Republic is in power.”

As part of this police action in a dozen states, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has ordered the former president to hand over his passport within 24 hours and barred him from maintaining contact with other investigators. This Thursday, agents issued 33 search warrants and four preventive detention orders, in addition to imposing 48 precautionary measures on suspects.

According to the Brazilian press, former ministers and army generals Walter Braga Netto, Augusto Heleno and Paulo Sérgio Nogueira, who were part of Bolsonaro’s cabinet (2019–2022), and former navy commander Almir Garnier Santos have been the subjects of the search. Also former Justice Minister Anderson Torres, who was already being investigated for the coup attack carried out by Bolsonaro supporters on January 8, 2023, and Valdemar Costa Neto, president of the Liberal Party (PL), led by former Brazilian It’s a party. chairman.

According to ‘O Globo’, the four detainees are: Felipe Martins, who was a close adviser to Bolsonaro during his mandate; Army Colonels Marcelo Camara and Bernardo Romao Corra Netto; and Army Special Forces chief Rafael Martins.

The investigation indicated that the investigative group “split into action groups to spread” suspicions of fraud in the 2022 elections, in which Lula defeated Bolsonaro, who is seeking re-election “even before the elections were held”. Were. According to the police, with this strategy they sought to “legitimize the military intervention”.

The investigators allegedly created a story to sow doubt about the election results through false information about electronic ballot boxes that have been used in Brazil since 1996 and never caused problems.

Furthermore, the police believe that the action had a second origin that involved “the practice of acts to subsidize the abolition of the Democratic State of Law through a coup, with the support of military personnel with knowledge and tactics Was.” of special forces in a politically sensitive environment.”

These events culminated in riots on January 8, 2023, when thousands of Bolsonaro’s followers attacked and destroyed the Presidency, Congress, and the headquarters of the Supreme Court, in a desperate attempt to overthrow the Lula government that had taken power. First.

Bolsonaro is already being investigated for inciting his allies to seize power by force and is now being targeted by authorities for allegedly being part of a coup plot.