Brazil Foils Assassination Plot Against President Lula

Brazilian police have detained five suspects, including four soldiers, linked to an attempted assassination plot against President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. This revelation underscores ongoing tensions following Lula's narrow electoral victory over former President Jair Bolsonaro, amidst rising political instability.

Brazilian authorities have made significant arrests in connection with a chilling assassination plot aimed at President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who was elected in October 2022. On Tuesday, police arrested five individuals, four of whom are active soldiers, while the fifth is identified as a police officer. These individuals are alleged to have orchestrated an elaborate plan to kill Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, just weeks before Lula’s inauguration on January 1, 2023.

Local news outlet reports indicate that the arrest stems from a plot that was set for execution on December 15, 2022—less than twenty days before the official inauguration. Lula, who narrowly edged out the incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in the election, faced an increasingly volatile political landscape, with Bolsonaro supporters ultimately storming key governmental buildings on January 8, 2023, leading to mass arrests and inquiries.

In a statement following the arrests, Social Communications Minister Paulo Pimenta disclosed that the scheme against Lula was perilously close to execution, with only a few logistical details pending. Of particular concern is the fact that laws of military engagement were allegedly overlooked by active service members involved in the plot. Reports suggest that the soldiers were apprehended while engaged in a security operation for G20 leaders in Rio.

The Brazilian federal police have noted that the apprehended individuals were part of a criminal organization that utilized advanced military strategy to orchestrate the plot in late 2022. This included schemes to not only assassinate the president-elect and the vice-president-elect but also to apprehend and execute a Supreme Court member if their coup were to succeed. The conspiring group had dubbed their operation "green and yellow dagger," a reference to the colors of the Brazilian flag, and had discussed various methods to "neutralize" Lula, with poisoning being a preferred method of execution.

Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes authorized the early morning raids that led to the arrests amid ongoing investigations into the threats against Lula and the events following the election.