Brazilian authorities have indicted former president Jair Bolsonaro, accusing him of having “full knowledge” of a 2022 plot to kill his successor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and overturn the presidential election results.
On Thursday, Brazil’s federal police indicted 37 individuals, including Bolsonaro, as part of an investigation into the aftermath of the 2022 election, which saw Bolsonaro’s defeat to Lula. Police allege that Bolsonaro knew of plans to prevent Lula from taking office.
Earlier this week, authorities arrested five people, including a former Bolsonaro adviser, over the alleged conspiracy. The plot reportedly included plans to assassinate Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. The Supreme Court’s arrest order, signed by Moraes, authorized the preventive detention of the suspects, including retired general Mário Fernandes, a high-ranking official in Bolsonaro’s administration.
Lula narrowly defeated Bolsonaro in October 2022. After the loss, Bolsonaro supporters rejected the results and stormed government buildings in Brasília on January 8, 2023. Police allege that Bolsonaro, in December 2022, met with military officials to present a legal framework aimed at keeping him in power.
Bolsonaro has denied attempting a coup. His son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, defended the suspects, claiming on X that while the idea of assassination is repugnant, it is not a crime unless an attempt is made.
