Brazilian police arrested former Defense Minister Walter Braga Netto, a close ally of ex-President Jair Bolsonaro, in a broad investigation into an alleged coup attempt to try to overturn the results of the 2022 presidential election in Brazil. The arrest is a significant development in the case after formal accusations were levied last month against Braga Netto, Bolsonaro, and 35 others for conspiracy to keep Bolsonaro in power after he failed to win re-election.
The arrest, which happened on Saturday, is connected with suspicions of impeding the gathering of evidence, according to the Federal Police. Investigators reportedly found new evidence suggesting Braga Netto was more involved in the coup plot than initially thought, leading to the arrest order from Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.
Braga Netto, who was Bolsonaro’s chief of staff from 2020 to 2021 and defense minister from 2021 to 2022, has denied any involvement in the alleged conspiracy. His lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment by news agencies, including Reuters and The Associated Press.
In November, Brazil’s Federal Police released an extensive report detailing the investigation into the plot to reverse the election victory of current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The 884-page document describes an orchestrated effort to erode public confidence in the electoral process, draft a decree to give the coup a veneer of legality, and pressure military leaders to support the initiative.
The investigation has unveiled that the plot entailed the most alarming intentions of the murder of Lula, Vice President-elect Geraldo Alckmin, and Justice de Moraes. Braga Netto is accused of having given the green light to the assassination plot during a meeting at his residence with other conspirators and also providing financial backing to those involved.
On Saturday, prosecutors said the retired general tried to obstruct the investigation by trying to obtain information on the testimony of Mauro Cid, an aide to Bolsonaro who is cooperating with the police. The federal police issued two search-and-seizure warrants in connection with the arrest, for Braga Netto’s Rio de Janeiro home and for the Brasília home of retired Colonel Flavio Botelho Peregrino. Peregrino could not be reached for comment at the time of publication.
