Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Thursday that he was “sure” that Jair Bolsonaro masterminded the attack on government buildings in Brasilia on January 8 and was therefore seeking to carry out a “coup”.
“Today I am aware and I say it loud and clear: this citizen (former President Bolsonaro) prepared the coup,” Lula said in an interview with the local television channel RedeTV!
On January 8, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters, unhappy with Lula’s victory over his far-right rival in the October 2022 presidential election, invaded and vandalized the presidential palace, Congress, and the Supreme Court.
A Brazilian judge has decided to include the former leader, who left Brazil for Florida at the end of December, in the investigation that aims to determine who is behind the looting of Brazilian institutions.
“We still have to defeat Bolsonarismo”
“I am sure that Bolsonaro was an active participant in this and is still trying to participate,” Lula added, when asked about the former president’s role in these events.
“They wanted to make this mess on January 1, but they realized they couldn’t because there were too many police and too many people on the streets,” Lula added.
These statements come on the same day as those of Senator Marcos do Val, who claimed to have participated in a meeting with the former president where they tried to prevent Lula’s coming to power.
According to his lawyers, Jair Bolsonaro has requested to extend his six-month visa to remain in the United States. He denies having any relationship with the events of January 8.
Lula, 77, won the elections narrowly: 50.9% against Bolsonaro’s 49.1%.
“We have defeated Bolsonaro, but we still have to defeat Bolsonaro,” President Lula finally said in the interview on local television.
Source: BFM TV
