Former Bolsonaro Cabinet Minister Arrested in Brazil for Alleged Coup Attempt

São Paulo —
Brazil’s Federal Police arrested a former member of President Jair Bolsonaro’s cabinet and his running mate for the 2022 election on Saturday, in connection with investigations into an alleged coup plot, the Supreme Court said in a statement.

General Walter Braga Netto was formally charged in November, along with Bolsonaro and 35 other individuals, for conspiring to stage a coup in order to keep Bolsonaro in office following his failed re-election attempt in 2022.

The prosecution has yet to file formal charges against Braga Netto. The arrest, carried out on Saturday, was due to accusations of obstructing the gathering of evidence, according to a statement from the Federal Police.

The arrest order was authorized by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, with the approval of the Attorney General’s Office.

A statement from the court noted that the police formally requested Braga Netto’s preventive detention after agents identified «solid evidence» that he was attempting to find out what a former Bolsonaro advisor, who signed a plea deal, was telling authorities.

Authorities also executed search and seizure orders against Braga Netto and his assistant, Colonel Flávio Botelho Peregrino.

Braga Netto served as Bolsonaro’s chief of staff from 2020 to 2021 and as defense minister from 2021 to 2022.

His lawyer did not respond to a request for comment. Previously, his legal team had stated that they would wait to review the police documents before making any statements.

In November, Brazil’s Federal Police released the final report of their investigation into the plan to keep Bolsonaro in power by overturning the 2022 election of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The police identified Braga Netto as one of the leaders of the plot, also involved in pressuring military leaders to sign off on the coup.

The 884-page document, supported by evidence and testimony, described a multi-step plan that included systematically sowing distrust in the electoral system among the population, drafting a decree to give the plot a semblance of legality, pressuring military commanders to support the plan, and inciting a rebellion in the capital.

According to the investigation, the plan also included a conspiracy to assassinate Lula, elected vice president Geraldo Alckmin, and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. Investigators claimed that Braga Netto gave the green light to the assassination plot during a meeting with the conspirators at his home.

The assassination plot aimed to make Bolsonaro’s ticket the only valid one in the 2022 run-off election, police said. De Moraes had led a five-year investigation into fake news and threats against Supreme Court judges, which resulted in some far-right allies and supporters being banned from social media or even imprisoned.

The police report contains no indication that there was any attempt to assassinate Lula or Alckmin. However, investigators found messages and documents indicating that the conspirators had been surveilling and tracking De Moraes at the time.

The Supreme Court’s statement said that police had new evidence suggesting Braga Netto was involved in obtaining and providing financial resources for the coup plot.

Braga Netto, the former president, and his key allies have denied any wrongdoing or involvement, accusing authorities of political persecution.

Reactions to the arrest were divided along the same political lines that have polarized the South American nation since Bolsonaro took office.

Bolsonaro wrote on the social media platform X that the arrest was ordered on questionable grounds, while the former president’s allies criticized the authorities, calling it another case of legal norms being violated.

Lula’s government and members of his party hailed the arrest as a victory for democracy and justice in Brazil.

«The fact that, for the first time in Brazil’s history, a four-star general has been arrested for attempting a coup is, in itself, a sign that we are advancing as a constitutional democracy. Brazil still has a long way to go as a republic, but today is a historic day in that journey,» wrote Randolfe Rodrigues, a senator from Lula’s party, in a post on X.