Brazil: Lula says Bolsonaro planned and organized attack on government buildings and attempted coup

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Thursday that he was “convinced” that his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, had planned an attack on government buildings in Brazil on January 8 and was trying to stage a “coup”.

Lula explained in an interview with Pronto TV! Local “Today I realize and say it out loud: this citizen (former president Bolsonaro) planned a coup.”

On January 8, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters, angered by Lula’s victory over his far-right rival Lula in the October 2022 presidential election, invaded and vandalized the presidential palace, Congress and the Federal Supreme Court.

And a Brazilian judge ruled that the investigation must include the former president, who traveled from Brazil to Florida in late December. The investigation aims to find out who is behind the sabotage of these Brazilian institutions.

Asked about the former president’s role in these events, Lula said: “I am sure that Bolsonaro has actively participated in this and continues to try.”

“They wanted to create this chaos on the first of January, but they realized they couldn’t because of the heavy displacement of police and people,” he added.

Lula’s statements took place on the day that Senator Narcos de Val confirmed that he had participated in a meeting with the former president in which the idea of ​​preventing Lula’s access to power arose.

Bolsonaro’s lawyers said the latter asked for a six-month extension of his US visa. He denies any connection to the events of January 8th.

Lula, 77 years old, won the elections with 50.9% of the votes against Bolsonaro’s 49.1%.

“We defeated Bolsonaro, but we still have to defeat Bolsonaro,” Lula said in the same television interview.