Five people, including a former assistant to former President Jair Bolsonaro, have been arrested by Brazilian police in connection with a purported plot to kill President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in 2022, according to authorities.
The Federal Police claim that the coup plot was planned in late 2022, prior to Lula’s inauguration. The Supreme Court noted in its arrest warrant that the scheme included preparations to kill Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes and Lula’s Vice President Geraldo Alckmin in addition to killing the then-elect president.
Moraes signed the decision on Sunday, authorizing the five suspects—including retired general Mário Fernandes—to be held in preventative custody.
According to CNN Brasil, Fernandes was the General Secretariat of the Presidency’s second-highest-ranked executive under Bolsonaro’s administration.
