Jair Bolsonaro
Former interim minister and 4 others detained for alleged involvement in a criminal organization that planned a coup d’état to prevent Lula from taking office — and that predicted the murders of the President of Brazil and his ‘vice’.
This Tuesday, Brazilian police detained an Army general, three soldiers and an agent suspected of planning the death of the President and Vice-President and Judge Alexandre de Moraes of the Federal Supreme Court.
According to local authorities, the arrests are part of the Operation Countercoupcarried out by the Federal Police to investigate an alleged criminal organization that planned to prevent the inauguration of the President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, after the 2022 presidential elections, and restrict the free exercise of Judiciary power.
One of the detainees is the retired brigadier general Mario Fernandeswho was executive secretary and interim minister of the General Secretariat of the Presidency in the Government of Jair Bolsonaro, but also an advisor to the former president.
Lieutenant Colonel Hélio Ferreira Limao major Rodrigo Bezerra Azevedo e o major Rafael Martins de Oliveira. A Federal Police agent was arrested in the same operation, according to local media.
Coup d’état predicted murder of Lula and ‘vice’
In a note about the operation, the Federal Police did not identify the targets, but explained that the investigations point to a “criminal organization” with “a high level of technical-military knowledge to plan, coordinate and execute illicit actions in the months of November and December 2022”.
The Federal Police added that the existence of detailed operational planning, called “Green and Yellow Dagger”to be executed on December 15, 2022, “aimed at the murder of elected presidential and vice-presidential candidates of the Republic”.
The detention and possible execution of the Federal Supreme Court judge were still in the plans. Alexandre de Moraeswhich was being continuously monitored, in case the Coup d’Etat plan was consummated.
According to the Federal Police, the suspects allegedly carried out a elaborate planning which detailed the necessary human and military resources, using advanced military operational techniques, and the creation of an Institutional Crisis Management Office, to be integrated by those investigated to manage subsequent institutional conflicts.
This morning, Federal Police agents, in addition to the five preventive arrest warrants, three search and seizure warrants and 15 precautionary measures, which include the prohibition of suspects from maintaining contact with the others being investigated, the prohibition of leaving the country, with delivery of passports within 24 hours, and the suspension of the exercise of public functions.
The Brazilian Army monitored the fulfillment of the warrants in the states of Rio de Janeiro, Goiás, Amazonas and the Federal District.
Bolsonaro target of searches
In February, an operation also related to the same investigation resulted in the arrest of Army soldiers and a former presidential advisor, with searches targeting a number of Bolsonaro’s allies.
of the 33 search and seizure warrants in that operation, called Tempus Veritatis (moment of truth), being forced to hand over his passport.
Invasion of the Three Powers: Did Bolsonaro instigate chaos?
The arrests are part of the investigation into , in Brasília, on January 8, 2023, which drew strong condemnation from the international community.
Acts of vandalism and destruction were carried out in the buildings of Congress, the Palácio do Planalto and the Federal Supreme Court (STF) of Brazil by thousands of Bolsonaro supporters in an attack that aimed to sow chaos and try to remove Lula da Silva from powerwho had taken office just eight days ago.
In recent months, the Brazilian police, the Public Ministry and the Federal Supreme Court have moved forward with investigations and punishment of those carrying out the acts, but the Authorities have not yet reached a conclusion about the participation or not of former President Jair Bolsonaro at his instigation.
According to the Federal Police, one of the detainees, Rafael de Oliveira, “acted directly, directing protesters to targets of interest to those investigatedsuch as STJ and Assembly of the Republic, in addition to carrying out financial and operational coordination to support undemocratic acts” under the guidance of Bolsonaro’s former aide-de-camp, Mauro Cidresponsible for arranging the financing of the acts.
The facts investigated at this stage of the investigation constitute, in theory, according to the Federal Police, the crimes of violent abolition of the Democratic Rule of Law, Coup d’état and criminal organization.
