The police arrest the ultra who stole Neymar's ball from the Brazilian Congress

The Federal Police of Brazil continues to carry out arrests after the far-right revolt on January 8 of this year, which resulted in the assault on the country's institutions and which many Brazilian media consider an attempted "coup d'état".

Oliver Thansan
Oliver Thansan
17 March 2023 Friday 10:27
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The police arrest the ultra who stole Neymar's ball from the Brazilian Congress

The Federal Police of Brazil continues to carry out arrests after the far-right revolt on January 8 of this year, which resulted in the assault on the country's institutions and which many Brazilian media consider an attempted "coup d'état".

That day, thousands of supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who had been camped out for weeks in front of barracks in Brasilia asking the military to stage a coup, took over the Three Powers square in the capital and occupied the Planalto palace – seat of the Executive -, the Parliament and the Federal Supreme Court (STF), causing numerous damages and even removing objects from public heritage.

Among the stolen pieces, a soccer ball autographed by Neymar that was exposed in a display case of the Museum of Congress. This Friday, the police arrested the author of that robbery, Nelson Ribeiro Fonseca, in the São Paulo city of Sorocaba. Ribeiro had gone to the Military Police on January 28 to return the ball, incriminating himself for the theft and explaining that he did not hand over the ball the same day it was stolen because clashes were taking place between the police and the protesters.

Ramos is one of the 32 people arrested this Friday throughout the country as a result of the events of January 8, within the framework of the Lesa Patria operation that has already led to preventive detention of 294 ultras, imprisoned in a prison in Brasilia.

Another symbolic arrest made today is that of a woman, Débora Santos, accused of painting the statue dedicated to Justice located in the STF. Santos was detained in Paulínia, also in the state of São Paulo.

Among the 32 arrested this Friday are Josafá Ramos, former councilor of the town of Feira de Santana, in the state of Bahia, who is also a sergeant of the Military Police in the reserve. Or the mechanic Fabio Alexandre de Oliveira, arrested in the São Paulo town of Penápolis, and who on January 8 shared a video on his social networks sitting in the chair of Alexandre de Moraes, an STF magistrate.

The ultra revolt on January 8 was carried out by Bolsonaro protesters unhappy with the defeat of the ex-president in last year's elections, a week after the progressive Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took office on January 1.