Federal Police: coup narrative incited January 8 attacks
Brazil's Federal Police concluded that the spread of coup narratives during Jair Bolsonaro's presidency contributed to the January 8, 2023, coup attempts and the recent suicide bombing at the Supreme Court.
The conclusion is outlined in the report in which the Federal Police indicted Bolsonaro and 36 others on charges of coup d'état and the violent abolition of the democratic rule of law. The report's secrecy was lifted on Tuesday (Nov. 26) by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, the rapporteur of the coup investigation.
In the investigators' opinion, the “rapid and repetitive” dissemination of coup narratives fueled the desire of extremist groups to carry out the coup planned by the former president and his allies, which was ultimately thwarted due to the lack of support from the Army and Air Force.
“This method of systematic attacks on the core values of the democratic rule of law fostered an environment ripe for the growth of radicalism. This radicalism, which culminated in the events of January 8, 2023, remains latent in parts of society, as evidenced by the bomb attack in Brasília on November 13, 2024,” the Federal Police stated.
Bolsonaro was aware of the so-called Green and Yellow Dagger, a plot devised by the accused to kidnap or assassinate Justice Alexandre de Moraes, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and vice-President Geraldo Alckmin, the police noted.
Tanks
According to the Federal Police, Admiral Almir Garnier, the former commander of the Navy, supported the coup plot and made troops available to then-President Jair Bolsonaro.
The coup plan was not executed due to the lack of support from the commanders of the Army and Air Force.
“Lula will not go up the ramp”
A handwritten document seized by the police at the headquarters of the Liberal Party (PL) proposes actions to disrupt the government transition process, including the “mobilization of jurists and opinion makers.”
The document concludes with the phrase “Lula will not go up the ramp.” According to the police, this is a clear reference to efforts to prevent the winner of the 2022 elections from assuming the presidency.
The material, seized from the desk of General Walter Braga Netto's advisor, Colonel Peregrino, outlines the actions planned for “Operation 142.” The name refers to Article 142 of the Federal Constitution, which pertains to the Armed Forces. According to the police, it was proposed by those under investigation as a potential means of executing an institutional rupture following Bolsonaro's electoral defeat.
Attorney General's Office
After the secrecy was lifted, the coup investigation was forwarded to the Attorney General's Office. It is now up to Attorney General Paulo Gonet to decide whether former President Bolsonaro and the other individuals accused will be indicted before the Supreme Court for the crimes outlined by Federal Police investigators.
