Brazilian authorities revealed on Tuesday, November 19, details of a conspiracy described as "highly dangerous" that targeted the assassination of elected Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

This conspiracy came in the wake of the presidential elections in October 2022, in which Lula won against far-right opponent Jair Bolsonaro.

In a large-scale security operation called "Contragolpe" (against the coup), the federal police arrested five individuals, including a police officer and four military officers. Among the prominent detainees was retired General Mario Fernandes, the former commander of the special forces in the Brazilian army, who previously served as deputy head of the presidential cabinet during Bolsonaro's administration, in addition to three active-duty majors.

Mass Elimination

Documents from the federal supreme court, where Judge Alexandre de Moraes issued the arrest warrants, revealed that the plot aimed not only to assassinate the elected president but also included the "elimination" of Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and Judge Moraes himself, who was presiding over the electoral court at the time.

The investigations revealed intriguing details about the planned execution methods, where conspirators studied the use of poisons and chemical agents to cause an organic collapse of President Lula, exploiting his health condition and frequent hospital visits. The documents also uncovered plans to establish an "Institutional Crisis Management Office" within the Brazilian government to be under the control of the conspirators.

The Conspiracy Scheme

In a notable development in the investigations, a search warrant issued on Tuesday referred to a meeting held by former President Bolsonaro with military and navy officials and the Minister of Defense in December 2022, where a document detailing the legal framework that would keep him in power was discussed. Bolsonaro was placed under investigation in February of this year regarding the alleged conspiracy.

Despite Bolsonaro's repeated denials of any allegations related to an attempted coup, his son Flávio Bolsonaro, a member of the Brazilian Senate, sparked widespread controversy when he wrote on the platform "X" that the five suspects had not committed a crime, adding, "While the thought of killing someone is disgusting, it is not a crime. For there to be an attempt, the execution must be interrupted due to circumstances beyond the perpetrators' control, which does not seem to have happened."

These developments come within a broader context of political tension that Brazil has witnessed, as Bolsonaro's supporters rejected the election results and committed acts of vandalism in the capital Brasília, storming government buildings on January 8, 2023.