Anatomy of a coup plot: why Jair Bolsonaro is on trial

"Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was days away from taking office for his third term as the Brazilian president when soldiers from a special operations unit allegedly discussed the best way to kill him possibly through poisoning or administering drugs that would trigger organ failure. Investigators would later conclude that the supposed plan to assassinate the president-elect, his vice-president and a supreme court justice was one of many strands of a wider plot designed to keep the far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro in power."

"At the end of 2022, Lula had just won the elections and was staying at a hotel in the capital, Brasilia, while a police officer leaked details of his security apparatus to the special ops. Meanwhile, Justice Alexandre de Moraes, already responsible for the main cases against Bolsonaro, was allegedly targeted by heavily armed soldiers who took up positions near his home, awaiting the final order to kill him."

"According to the federal police and Brazil's attorney general, the assassination plan was only aborted because a court session was delayed and, more importantly, the commanders of the armed forces refused to endorse Bolsonaro's coup plot. The former president and seven of his closest allies including high-ranking military officers are no awaiting judgment on charges of attempting a coup to overturn the 2022 elections."

Soldiers from a special operations unit allegedly discussed killing president-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva by poisoning or administering drugs to trigger organ failure. Investigators concluded the plot targeted Lula, his vice-president and a supreme court justice and formed part of a larger scheme to maintain Jair Bolsonaro's hold on power after the 2022 election. Police leaks exposed security vulnerabilities while heavily armed soldiers reportedly took positions near Justice Alexandre de Moraes' home awaiting orders. The plot was aborted after a delayed court session and refusal by armed forces commanders to endorse a coup. Bolsonaro and seven allies face trial on coup charges and potential sentences up to 43 years; a verdict is expected soon. Bolsonaro denies the accusations and is under house arrest.

Read at www.theguardian.com