The Federal Police of Brazil deployed this Thursday a major operation that accuses former President Jair Bolsonaro, as well as several of his closest allies, including former ministers and high-profile military personnel, for attempting a coup d'état that would keep the leader in power. far-right
Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes ordered the former president to hand over his passport within 24 hours and prohibited him from maintaining contact with other investigators, within this police operation that carried out proceedings in a dozen states.
The Federal Police stated in a note that it seeks to clarify whether those investigated were part of a "criminal organization" that acted "in the attempted coup d'état" to "keep the then president of the Republic in power" and prevent the assumption of the Government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, in power since January 1, 2023.
Da Silva himself said he believed that the former president was involved in the coup attempt of January 2023, although he asked to wait for the conclusion of the investigations. "I think (the attempted coup) would not have happened without him," he said in an interview.
The progressive leader pointed out that Bolsonaro "was not prepared" to lose the 2022 elections and "didn't have the courage" to attend his inauguration to present him with the presidential sash on January 1, 2023. "He stayed at home crying and "He went to the United States. He must have participated in the construction of that attempted coup. We are going to wait for the investigations," he said.
The Federal Police carried out 33 search warrants and 4 preventive detention orders this Thursday, and also imposed 48 precautionary measures on the 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 were subject to searches.
Former Justice Minister Anderson Torres, who was already being investigated for the coup attack on January 8, 2023, carried out by Bolsonaro supporters, and Valdemar Costa Neto, president of the Liberal Party (PL), a party that leads the former Brazilian president.
Those investigated supposedly built a narrative to sow doubts about the results of the elections through false information about the electronic ballot boxes that the country has used since 1996 in its electoral processes and that never caused problems.
According to the Police, there was a second core of action that "consisted of the practice of acts to subsidize the abolition of the Democratic State of Law, through a coup d'état, with the support of military personnel with the knowledge and tactics of special forces in an environment politically sensitive."
These events culminated in the riot on January 8, 2023, when thousands of Bolsonaro's followers invaded and destroyed the headquarters of the Presidency, Congress and the Supreme Court, in a desperate attempt to overthrow the Lula Government, which had assumed power. power a week before.
Bolsonaro is already being investigated for this episode for inciting his acolytes to take power by force and this Thursday he came directly into the crosshairs of the authorities for supposedly being part of the coup plot.
