Bolsonaro’s last justice minister arrested over Brazil riot
- Anderson Torres was arrested when he arrived in Brasilia from the US, where both he and his former boss were at the time of the riot
- Torres was wanted under a Supreme Court warrant for alleged ‘collusion’ with rioters, and is accused of ‘omission’ in his job as the capital’s security chief
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A former minister under defeated Brazilian ex-president Jair Bolsonaro was arrested early Saturday, local media reported, in connection with last week’s sacking of government buildings.
More than 2,000 rioters were detained after the events, for which the full extent of the damage is still being calculated.
A Supreme Court judge announced on Friday that Bolsonaro will be included in an investigation into the origins of the sacking, which was sparked by anger at the far-right leader’s election defeat to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Torres was wanted under a Supreme Court warrant for alleged “collusion” with the rioters, and stands accused of “omission” in his most recent job as security chief for the capital.
Justice Minister Flavio Dino said on Friday that authorities would give his predecessor until Monday to return to Brazil, or face extradition.
The undated and unsigned draft bears Bolsonaro’s name at the bottom, but Dino said the authorship was unknown.
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Torres said on Twitter the document was “likely” part of a pile of papers that were destined to be destroyed.
He said the contents of the draft had been taken “out of context” to “feed false narratives” against him.
By doing so, “Bolsonaro would have publicly incited the commission of a crime”, the PGR said in a statement.
The Bolsonaro video was posted online two days after the violent storming of the presidency, Congress and Supreme Court but later deleted.
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The PGR explained that even though the video came after the uprising, it may serve as “a probative connection” that justified “a global investigation of the acts performed before and after January 8, 2023 by the defendant”.
In a note seen by AFP on Friday, Bolsonaro’s defence denied any involvement by the ex-president.
Bolsonaro “never had any relationship or participation in these movements”, the note said, blaming the violence on “infiltrators”.
Bolsonaro had for years sought to cast doubt on the reliability of Brazil’s internationally praised election system, and had suggested he would not accept a defeat.
He never publicly acknowledged Lula’s victory, and left for the US – where he remains – two days before the inauguration.
