Brazil arrests five suspects over alleged plot to assassinate President Lula

Brazilian authorities have arrested five individuals, including a former adviser to ex-President Jair Bolsonaro, in connection with an alleged conspiracy to assassinate President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in 2022.

The coup plot was conceived in late 2022, before Lula took office, according to Federal Police, News.Az reports, citing CNN.

In addition to killing the then-president-elect, the plot also included plans to capture or kill Lula’s Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, the Supreme Court said in its arrest order.

The order, signed by Moraes on Sunday, authorizes the preventative detention of the five suspects, including retired general Mário Fernandes.

Fernandes was previously the second-highest ranking executive of the General Secretariat of the Presidency during Bolsonaro’s administration, CNN Brasil reported. It’s unclear if he has an attorney.

The alleged plot also involved other military personnel with training in special forces, the Federal Police said.

“The planning drawn up by those under investigation detailed the human and military resources needed to carry out the actions, using advanced military operational techniques,” police said.

The plan envisioned the eventual creation of an “Institutional Crisis Management Office” in Brazil’s government that the coup plotters would control, according to the police.

According to the court order, the alleged plotters also considered several methods to carry out the political assassinations, including the use of poison or explosive devices.

“For the execution of President Lula, the document describes, considering his health vulnerability and frequent visits to hospitals, the possibility of using poisoning or chemicals to cause an organic collapse,” reads Moraes’ order, citing an investigation into the plot.

In addition to the five arrests, police said the suspects would be prohibited from leaving the country or contacting other people suspected of involvement in the plot, documents show.

In February of this year, Bolsonaro was placed under investigation over the alleged plot. The investigation is expected to be finished later this month, Reuters reported, citing a source with direct knowledge of the probe.

According to a police warrant carried out on Tuesday, Bolsonaro allegedly met with officials from the army and navy as well as the minister of defense in December 2022 to present a document detailing the legal framework that would keep him in power.

News.Az