Brazilian police have arrested five people, suspected of plotting an alleged coup attempt in which they planned to assassinate then-president-elect Lula da Silva and vice-president-elect Geraldo Alcmin weeks before they were to take office, Reuters reported, citing BTA.
Federal police first reported a plot to kill Lula da Silva and Alcmin in connection with this investigation. Most of the suspects are military personnel trained in special forces, according to a law enforcement statement.
„A detailed operational plan of action called “Green and Yellow Dagger” was identified, which was to be executed on December 15, 2022, and which aimed to assassinate the newly elected president and vice president,” the statement said .
Federal police officers executed five arrest warrants, three search warrants and 15 other security measures today. These include banning suspects from contacting others and banning them from leaving the country.
„The investigation shows that the criminal organization used a high degree of military technical knowledge to plan, coordinate and execute illegal actions in November and December 2022,”, the statement added.
Lula da Silva won Brazil's October 2022 presidential election against right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro and took office in January of the following year. Last month, a source told Reuters that a federal police investigation was expected to confirm that Bolsonaro had conspired in an attempt to stage the coup after losing the vote. The investigation is expected to be completed this month.
The Brazilian military has been monitoring federal operations against the conspirators. Police said the suspects planned to set up an “Institutional Crisis Control Office” in order to solve the problems caused by the coup. They also planned to capture and kill an unnamed Supreme Court judge.