Brazil: Ex-defense minister held for meddling in coup probe

Brazil's former defense minister Walter Braga Netto was arrested Saturday, as part of ongoing investigations into a suspected coup plot around the October 2022 presidential election.

Braga Netto served under the former president Jair Bolsonaro, a right-wing populist who faced a tight race against leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and ultimately failed to win a second term.

After Bolsonaro had refused to recognize Lula's election win, his supporters blocked roads and stormed Congress, the presidential palace and the Supreme Court in Brasília on January 8, 2023, causing considerable damage. 

Braga Netto, a retired general, was accused by federal police in November of plotting the coup d'etat to overturn the election results and prevent Lula's inauguration.

He is accused of obstructing efforts by investigators to collect evidence in the case, the news agency Agencia Brasil reported, citing the federal police. 

The ex-defense minister is being held in army custody in Rio de Janeiro, as required by Brazilian law because of his military background.

An advisor to Braga Netto, Colonel Flavio Botelho Peregrino, was also detained Saturday.

Braga Netto, who was Bolsonaro's chief of staff and a running mate in his failed reelection bid, has denied any role in the alleged conspiracy. His lawyers have yet to comment on his arrest.

Police released an 884-page report late last month recommending Bolsonaro's indictment and 36 allies — including the head of Bolsonaro's security cabinet and the former Brazilian spy agency chief —  for seeking to "violently overthrow the democratic state."

Coup plot included plan to murder Lula

The report followed a nearly two-year police probe and included an alleged plot to kill Lula, his vice president and a Supreme Court judge, after the election.

Bolsonaro was also said to be "fully aware" of an alleged plan by elite soldiers to assassinate the trio, according to the report.

Attorney General Paulo Gonet has been examining the allegations to see if the evidence supports charges against Bolsonaro and the other alleged co-conspirators. He has yet to decide whether to proceed with the prosecutions.

Saturday's arrests came after new evidence uncovered a larger role for Braga Netto than previously thought, according to Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who ordered the arrest.

As well as hosting a meeting about the so-called Green and Yellow Dagger plot at his house, federal police said Braga Netto provided funds to those involved in the plot.

Investigators believe he also tried to meddle in the police probe by trying to get details of depositions by a Bolsonaro aide who is cooperating with police.

Details of the plot were printed out at the president's palace, according to investigators. A draft of the document was found at the headquarters of Bolsonaro's Liberal Party.

mm/jcg (AFP, dpa, Reuters)