Brazilian federal police announced the arrest of four members of an elite army special forces unit and one federal police agent on Tuesday, alleging their involvement in a plot to assassinate President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and an unnamed Supreme Court justice in late 2022. The arrests come amid a multiyear investigation into an alleged coup plot by former President Jair Bolsonaro’s supporters following Brazil’s contentious 2022 election.
According to The New York Times, one key planning meeting for the plot was held at the residence of a retired army general who served as former President Jair Bolsonaro’s running mate in the 2022 election.
Investigators uncovered what they described as a detailed operational plan titled Green and Yellow Dagger, a reference to the colors of Brazil’s flag. The plan allegedly called for a coup d’état on Dec. 15, 2022, just weeks before Lula’s inauguration. The plot aimed to prevent the transfer of power from Bolsonaro to Lula, keeping Bolsonaro in power.
“The planning drawn up by those under investigation detailed the human and military resources required to carry out the actions,” investigators said in a statement:
A lawyer for Mr. Bolsonaro said his client had no involvement in or knowledge of the plot.
The former president “never agreed or participated in any type of plan of this nature,” the lawyer, Paulo Cunha Bueno, told The New York Times.
The arrests are part of a broader investigation into an attempted coup and Mr. Bolsonaro’s role in attempting to hold on to power following Brazil’s last presidential election when he was narrowly defeated by Mr. Lula. It is the first time the investigation has cited an effort to target Mr. Lula before his inauguration, in January 2023.
As part of this investigation, Mr. Bolsonaro has been accused of planning to arrest a Supreme Court justice, personally editing a draft decree aimed at overturning the election results and presenting plans for a coup to top military leaders, seeking their support, according to police statements.
Four of the suspects were apprehended in Rio de Janeiro while participating in security operations for the G20 summit, law enforcement officials told AFP. Another suspect arrested has been identified as a former aide to Bolsonaro, further tying the alleged scheme to figures close to the former administration.
Federal police revealed that the suspects had also proposed creating an “Institutional Crisis Management Office” to address fallout from the planned coup.
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