Five arrested in Brazil over alleged plot to assassinate Lula, vice president PHOTO

Five individuals have been arrested in Brazil in connection with an alleged plot to assassinate then-President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and his vice president in December 2022, according to police.

The arrests were confirmed by federal police in a statement on November 19, which revealed that the majority of those under investigation are military personnel with special forces training, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

Four of the suspects were detained in Rio de Janeiro while participating in a security operation for the G20 leaders' summit on November 18. A police officer was also apprehended, a federal police source told AFP.

Lula won the presidential election in October 2022, defeating the far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro, and assumed office in January 2023. Shortly after his inauguration, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed government buildings in Brasília on January 8, leading to multiple investigations into those events and other alleged attempts to block Lula’s presidency.

Thus, in October, a source familiar with the ongoing investigations revealed that a federal police probe would conclude that Bolsonaro had conspired to instigate the attempted coup following his election defeat. This investigation is expected to be completed this month.

The Brazilian army provided oversight during the operation against the coup conspirators, which spanned several states, including Rio de Janeiro, Goiás, Amazonas, and the Federal District. Police stated that the suspects had planned to establish an “Institutional Crisis Management Office” to oversee any issues arising from the coup.

Authorities also revealed that the plotters intended to seize power and kill a Supreme Court justice, although the name of the targeted judge has not been disclosed.

By Aghakazim Guliyev