The attempt is to discover the identity of three people who would have participated, in 2022, in planning a coup action that included killing the elected president (), the vice-president (PSB), and the minister (), then president of the (Superior Electoral Court) .
The yet-to-be-identified members participated in a chat group called “Copa 2022” on the Signal app, where each member used a country as a codename (Germany, Argentina, Brazil, Austria, Ghana and Japan) so as not to be identified.
The PF managed to associate part of the countries with the names of the suspects, but there are still doubts, for example, about who used the name “Argentina 2”.
According to agents involved in the investigation, the telephone line associated with this codename was registered with the data of a person who lives in Patrocínio (AL) and who did not participate in the coup plot.
On Tuesday (19), the PF launched an operation to prepare coup plans against Lula’s inauguration, including the action discussed in the “2022 World Cup” group.
The targets were reserve general Mario Fernandes, lieutenant colonels Hélio Ferreira Lima, Rafael Martins de Oliveira and Rodrigo Bezerra de Azevedo and federal police officer Wladimir Matos Soares.
The PF points out that Oliveira would be one of the members of the group, using the codename Japan.
The telephone line associated with the code name Brasil was registered in the name of a resident of Salvador (BA) who was also unrelated to the coup plot.
The PF, however, identified that this number was used on a telephone that would also have been activated days later with a number belonging to Lieutenant Colonel Rodrigo Bezerra de Azevedo.
One of those arrested last week, Azevedo should be heard by the PF this week. The investigators will then decide whether to include the lieutenant colonel’s name on the list of democratic rule of law, coup d’état and criminal organization
His lawyer, Jeffrey Chiquini, said the soldier has not yet been called to testify, but that he should not remain silent. “There is no alleged coup plot. It is a big factoid, we already have elements demonstrating the fragility of this investigation”, he stated.
Chiquini said there was a “political setup” to create a “coup narrative to persecute opponents.” According to him, the lieutenant colonel was celebrating his birthday and was with his family on the date the PF suspects there was a mobilization to kill Moraes.
The PF says it requested a search and seizure at Azevedo’s addresses to confirm whether or not he participated in the coup plot.
The agents crossed location data from cell phones, files found on HDs and computers of the suspects, among other information, with the dialogues of the “Copa 2022” group.
With this intersection, they raised signs that the coup plotters had positioned themselves to execute the plan to kill Moraes on December 15, 2022, but
The PF still sees connections between the actions articulated in the “Cup 2022” group and a document called “Punhal Verde e Amarelo”, which would have been prepared by General Mário Fernandes and would also have as its objective a coup d’état and the assassination of Lula, Alckmin and Moraes.
The former president () defended, on Saturday (23), those suspected of planning attacks. “Those who are being unjustly arrested now, in a preventive manner. There is not a single support from the law that speaks of preventive to arrest these four officers,” he said on social media.
Last week, , for the crimes of attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, attempted coup d’état and criminal organization, whose sentences total 12 to 28 years in prison, not counting aggravating factors.
The (Attorney General’s Office) indicates that it should only file a possible complaint next year.
