Brazilian police arrest 5 officers over alleged coup plot and plans to kill President Lula, others

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilian police arrested five officers accused over a coup plot that included plans to overthrow the government following the 2022 elections and kill President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, authorities said.

According to the investigation, the coup plotters also planned to kill Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. Brazilian media said the five arrested included four military and one police officer.

The police said that five arrest warrants have been carried out, as well as three search and seizure warrants along with other measures, including seizing the suspects’ passports and preventing them from contacting others.

Judge Alexandre de Moraes, who authorized the arrests, said a police investigation revealed the coup plot involved military personnel trained in the Army’s Special Forces and a retired high-ranking official.

“The objective was to prevent the inauguration of the legitimately elected government and undermine the free exercise of democracy and the authority of Brazil’s judiciary,” de Moraes said in the order.

“These actions, peaking between November and December 2022, were part of a broader plan to carry out a coup d’état,” he added.

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