During and after the 2022 Brazilian presidential election, a network of members of former president

Jair Bolsonaro Jair Messias Bolsonaro (; born 21 March 1955) is a Brazilian politician and former military officer who served as the 38th president of Brazil from 2019 to 2023. He previously served as a member of Brazil's Chamber of Deputies (Brazil), Chamb ...

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

and of the

Brazilian Armed Forces The Brazilian Armed Forces (, ) are the unified Military, military forces of the Brazil, Federative Republic of Brazil. Consisting of three Military branch, service branches, it comprises the Brazilian Army (including the Brazilian Army Aviati ...

planned to subvert the transition of power to newly elected president

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (; born Luiz Inácio da Silva; 27 October 1945), known Mononym, mononymously as Lula, is a Brazilian politician, trade unionist and former metalworker who has served as the 39th president of Brazil since 2023. A mem ...

, arrest

Supreme Federal Court The Federal Supreme Court (, , abbreviated STF) is the supreme court (court of last resort) of Brazil, serving primarily as the country's Constitutional Court. It is the highest court of law in Brazil for constitutional issues and its rulings ...

(STF) justice

Alexandre de Moraes Alexandre de Moraes (; born 13 December 1968) is a Brazilian jurist, former politician, former president of the Superior Electoral Court and currently justice of the Supreme Federal Court. Moraes was appointed to the Supreme Court by President M ...

and President of the Federal Senate Rodrigo Pacheco, as well as shut down several government institutions, such as the National Congress, the

Superior Electoral Court The Superior Electoral Court (, TSE) is the highest body of the Brazilian Election Justice, Brazilian Electoral Justice, which also comprises one Regional Electoral Court (Brazil), Regional Electoral Court (, TRE) in each of the 26 states and th ...

and the Supreme Federal Court, in an attempt to keep Jair Bolsonaro in power and possibly consolidate his control over the federal government. The plans, evidence, and individuals involved in planning a

coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...

were gradually revealed in investigations conducted by public agencies and the press in 2023 and 2024. Bolsonaro has denied any wrongdoing and says he "suffer relentless persecution". After Bolsonaro supporters stormed the Congress and Supreme Court on 8 January 2023, more than 1,400 people were charged for their alleged role in the riots.

Valdemar Costa Neto Valdemar Costa Neto (born 11 August 1949) is a Brazilian politician. He is a congressman and president of the Liberal Party (PL), the party of the former President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro Jair Messias Bolsonaro (; born 21 March 1955) is ...

, head of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

, and three aides to Bolsonaro were arrested on 8 February 2024. On 21 November 2024, the Federal Police formally accused Bolsonaro and 36 people for an attempt to overthrow Brazil's democratic institutions, including a plot to assassinate Lula da Silva, then-Vice President-elect

Geraldo Alckmin Geraldo José Rodrigues Alckmin Filho (; born 7 November 1952) is a Brazilian physician and politician currently serving as 26th vice president of Brazil. He previously was the List of governors of São Paulo, Governor of São Paulo (state), S� ...

and Supreme Court Justice

. On 14 December 2024, Bolsonaro's 2022 running mate and former Chief of Staff, Walter Braga Netto, was arrested. Braga Netto, who was also a former general in the Brazilian army, was considered a prominent figure in the coup plot. On 18 February 2025, the Brazilian Attorney General Paulo Gonet formally indicted Bolsonaro and 34 others for attempted coup d'état.

Context

Fake news and attempts to discredit the electoral system

False news (or fake news) was an element with special prominence in the elections in Brazil in 2014, 2018 and 2022, respectively, being used by many sides with the objective of convincing and manipulating the electors and their votes. Although fake news is not a new phenomenon, widespread access to digital communication tools and the ease of mass spread of messages gave these false informations, in 2022, a leading role in electoral debates, being the focus of containment actions by courts, legislators and media companies.

Evidence

''Coup Draft''

The

Federal Police A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for law enforcement within a specific jurisdiction through the employment and deployment of law enforcement officers and their resources. The most common type of law enforcement ...

found a draft announcement of a coup in a search of former Justice minister Anderson Torres's home. The document outlined a plan to implement a state of defense () that would nullify the 2022 election results. It also leveled a series of accusations, such as

abuse of power Abuse of power or abuse of authority, in the form of "malfeasance in office" or "official abuse of power", is the commission of an Crime, unlawful act, done in an official capacity, which affects the performance of official duties. Malfeasan ...

and lack of impartiality, against the

(TSE), which had been investigating Bolsonaro and his allies when he was in office.

Anderson Torres' testimony

Upon his return to Brazil, Anderson Torres was arrested and detained for four months while Supreme Court justice Alexandre de Moraes investigated his role in the riots. In his testimony to the Federal Police on 2 February 2023, Torres sought to dismiss the coup draft found in his residence as a document "without legal viability", disposable, according to him. He also stated that it was not he who had placed the draft decree in a folder on his shelf, and that he believed his domestic worker had done so while house cleaning. Torres reaffirmed that he had not drafted the document and did not know who did. To the accusation of negligence or complicity with the 2022–2023 Brazilian election protests that culminated in the 2023 Brazilian Congress attack on 8 January, Torres, who took office on 2 January as head of security for the Federal District, claimed he had fulfilled all necessary verification and security measures, relying on reports that did not foresee radical actions by Bolsonaro supporters. Since he thought he had fulfilled his duties, he said, he deemed it appropriate to proceed with a planned family trip to the United States, where he stayed in Orlando, the same city as Bolsonaro, with whom he said he had not coordinated his plans, and with whom he additionally claimed he did not meet. Ricardo Cappelli, the intervenor Lula put in charge of

Brasília Brasília ( ; ) is the capital city, capital of Brazil and Federal District (Brazil), Federal District. Located in the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region, it was founded by President Juscelino ...

's public security after the riots, called 8 January "a structured sabotage operation" adding:

= Anderson Torres' cellphone

= Regarding the whereabouts of his phone, Torres claimed to have turned it off after his arrest was ordered, due to the number of calls he received, and lost it shortly afterward. He said he did not know where it was but he said he had not left it in the United States. Torres offered to provide the password to his

cloud storage Cloud storage is a model of computer data storage in which data, said to be on "the cloud", is stored remotely in logical pools and is accessible to users over a network, typically the Internet. The physical storage spans multiple servers (so ...

account.

Marcos do Val account

Ailton Gomes' audio recordings

Audio recordings from 15 December 2022, of former major and

(PL) candidate, Ailton Gomes, record instructions to then-Army Commander Freire Gomes to do "(...) " (what needs to be done), setting the deadline for the following day for him to make a statement in support of the coup; otherwise, it added, the statement would come from Jair Bolsonaro.

Bolsonaro's coup meetings

In a statement proffered as part of a plea deal approved by Justice Alexandre de Moraes, Mauro Cid stated that Jair Bolsonaro met with the commanders of the Armed Forces' three branches to assess the possibility of carrying out a coup, whose draft declaration had been prepared by his advisors, with the purpose of preventing the change of government. The draft was allegedly delivered by Filipe Martins, advisor for international affairs. Its content anticipated the arrest of political opponents and justice Alexandre de Moraes. The plan was allegedly accepted by the commander of the

Brazilian Navy The Brazilian Navy () is the navy, naval service branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces, responsible for conducting naval warfare, naval operations. The navy was involved in War of Independence of Brazil#Naval action, Brazil's war of independence ...

, Admiral Almir Garnier Santos. However, General Marco Antônio Freire Gomes of the

Brazilian Army The Brazilian Army (; EB) is the branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces responsible, externally, for defending the country in eminently terrestrial operations and, internally, for guaranteeing law, order and the constitutional branches, subordina ...

reportedly refused to participate, leading to abandonment. Bolsonaro's defense team has said that the statements are slanderous. In addition to the military, Cid would have said that Bolsonaro received, in meetings at the presidential palace, various people with coup plans that involved, among other things, using a misinterpretation of article 142 of the Federal Constitution to entrust the armed forces with exercising the moderating power. Warned about the risks, the then-president would have assumed the sad expression that marked his first public appearance after the end of the elections.

Reactions

The discovery of the draft caused widespread repercussions in Brazilian politics, society, and judiciary. Jurists debated the inherent illegality of possessing of such a document, regardless of its use or the success of its use. Senator

Randolfe Rodrigues Randolph Frederich Rodrigues Alves (; Garanhuns, 6 November 1972) is a Brazilian journalist and politician. Since 2011, Rodrigues serves as a Senator for the state of Amapá, was the most voted in the state's history in the 2010 Elections. He was ...

called for an inquiry by the

into the "attempted coup d'état". During the media uproar that occurred after the draft's discovery, Torres said on social media that the draft was "most likely" a document that was meant to be discarded and shredded by the

Ministry of Justice and Public Security The Royal Ministry of Justice and Public Security () is a Norwegian government ministry that oversees justice, the police, and domestic intelligence. The main purpose of the ministry is to provide for the maintenance and development of the basic ...

. According to him, the draft was taken without his knowledge and used out of context, fueling "false narratives" against him. Conversely, his lawyers said that the draft had been handed to him by a "citizen", a narrative inconsistent with internal evidence within the document, clearly written by someone very closely following events. Jair Bolsonaro's defense team moved to exclude the document from a parallel investigation of his attempt to discredit the

electoral system An electoral or voting system is a set of rules used to determine the results of an election. Electoral systems are used in politics to elect governments, while non-political elections may take place in business, nonprofit organizations and inf ...

. This investigation arose from a speech against the Superior Electoral Court, delivered at a meeting with ambassadors in 2022. The request was denied, and the document remained part of the evidence. On 30 June 2023, a majority at the Superior Electoral Court declared Jair Bolsonaro ineligible to hold political power until 2030 for his abuse and misuse of communication media during this meeting.

Investigation

The Federal Police conducted several forensic examinations and investigations regarding the document, to among other things, trace its circulation among government authorities. According to information gathered by investigators, the draft reached Bolsonaro's aides, as well as members of his reelection committee. An analysis of the various fingerprints found on the document was carried out by the Federal Police, furthermore, efforts were made to trace the printer that originated the document through documentoscopy techniques. The forensic examination aims to verify especially if the draft originated from a public agency, given that the forensic technique in use is only effective in tracing medium or large sized printers, and is less accurate for consumer printers.

Operation ''Tempus Veritatis''

On 8 February 2024, the Federal Police carried out thirty-three search and seizure warrants and four preventive detention warrants in Operation ''Tempus Veritatis'' ("hour of truth", in Latin). Former special advisor to Bolsonaro, Filipe G. Martins, retired colonel Marcelo Câmara, and major Rafael Martins were arrested. The targets of the search and seizure measures included the president of the Liberal Party,

, generals Braga Netto, Augusto Heleno, and Paulo Sérgio Nogueira, admiral Almir Garnier Santos, former minister Anderson Torres, and Bolsonaro himself, who had his passport seized. The following day, on 9 February 2024, a meeting held on 5 July 2022, where then-President Jair Bolsonaro was recorded instructing ministers on the need to act before the elections to avoid a possible "guerrilla" in Brazil, was made public. The video, found on Mauro Cid's computer, was released by journalist Bela Megale, of the newspaper

O Globo ''O Globo'' (, ''The Globe'') is a Brazilian newspaper based in Rio de Janeiro. ''O Globo'' is the leading daily newspaper in the country and the most prominent print publication in the Grupo Globo media conglomerate. Founded by journalist Ir ...

. Bolsonaro allegedly ordered the dissemination of fraudulent information to try to reverse the situation in the electoral dispute, alleging supposed electoral frauds that were never proven. The meeting also involved other ministers, including the then-Minister of Defense, who reportedly stated that the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) was an "enemy" of the Bolsonarist group. The recording is part of an investigation into an attempted coup involving military personnel and former ministers. During a meeting, the then minister of the Institutional Security Bureau (GSI), General Augusto Heleno, expressed the intention to infiltrate agents from the

Brazilian Intelligence Agency The Brazilian Intelligence Agency (, ABIN) is the main intelligence agency in Brazil. ABIN's mission is to ensure that the Federal Executive has access to knowledge related to the security of the State and society, such as those involving fore ...

(Abin) into both Jair Bolsonaro's and his main opponent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's electoral campaigns. Heleno mentioned the importance of acting before the elections as to avoid possible upheavals, using terms such as "turning the table" and highlighting the need for decisive action before the ballot. President Bolsonaro interrupted Heleno expressing concern about leaks and suggested that such matters be discussed in a private meeting.

Operation Counterattack

On November 19, 2024, the Federal Police launched the Operation Counterattack, investigating a plan called "Green and Yellow Dagger", drawn up in 2022 to prevent the inauguration of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Geraldo Alckmin, then president- and vice president-elect of Brazil, respectively. The plan included the murder of Lula, Alckmin and Federal Supreme Court Minister Alexandre de Moraes. Five suspects were arrested, including four Army special forces soldiers– known as "black kids"– and a federal police officer. Among the military, the reserve general Mario Fernandes, former member of the Bolsonaro government and parliamentary adviser to Eduardo Pazuello, stood out. The operation also involved searches and seizures, suspension of public functions of those involved and other precautionary measures. The investigation found that the plan relied on detailed military tactics, such as clandestine monitoring and illicit use of public resources. According to the investigation, the "Green and Yellow Dagger" plan began to be elaborated on November 12, 2022, at the home of Walter Braga Netto, at the time the defeated vice-presidential candidate on the ticket headed by Jair Bolsonaro. Evidence was recovered from the electronic devices of Colonel Mauro Cid, Jair Bolsonaro's former aide-de-camp. The operation is part of a larger investigation into anti-democratic acts linked to the 2022 elections and the January 8, 2023 attacks, including violations of the rule of law and embezzlement of public assets.

Formal accusation by the Federal Police

On 21 November 2024, the Federal Police formally accused Bolsonaro and 36 people for an attempt to overthrow Brazil's democratic institutions, which included planning and ordering the assassination of then president-elect Lula and vice-president

as well as Supreme Court justice

in 2022 in order to keep Bolsonaro in power after his term would legally end. Most of the accused are top ranking Brazilian military officers who were appointed to government positions during Bolsonaro's presidency. The report submitted to the Court by the police stated that Bolsonaro had "full knowledge" about an assassination plot against Lula. That same day, Lula acknowledged that he was thankful that an attempt to "poison" him failed.

Arrest of Braga Netto

On December 14, 2024, retired army general Walter Braga Netto, who was also Jair Bolsonario's running mate in the 2022 Brazilian presidential election, was arrested and held in Rio de Janeiro after being accused of hindering an investigation, as well as having a role, on the 2022 coup attempt. Leading up to his arrest, searches were carried out at Braga Netto's residence in Rio de Janeiro and also the home of retired colonel Flavio Botelho Peregrino in Brasilia.

People involved

Those being investigated for the possible coup attempt are: *Former President of the Republic Jair Messias Bolsonaro *Former Institutional Security Cabinet head General Augusto Heleno Ribeiro Pereira *Former Chief of Staff General Walter Souza Braga Netto *Former Defense Minister General Paulo Sérgio Nogueira de Oliveira

Anderson Torres

Mauro Cid

Mauro Cesar Barbosa Cid, known as ''Colonel Cid,'' aide-de-camp to former president Jair Bolsonaro, was preemptively arrested as part of ''Operation Venire,'' for collaborating in the falsification of COVID-19 vaccination data in the Ministry of Health system. The seizure of materials at Mauro Cid's house also revealed his collaboration with former major in planning and to recruit military and civilians for the coup.

Aylton Gomes

Aylton Gomes, an attorney and former major in the Brazilian Army, was a 2022

candidate for state deputy of

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

. He was arrested as part of ''Operation Venire'' and identified as one of the leaders of the attempted coup after the Federal Police examined the contents of

Mauro Cid Mauro Cesar Barbosa Cid (born May 17, 1979) is an active-duty lieutenant colonel in the Brazilian Army. He was an aide-de-camp to the President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, and is currently being investigated by the Federal Police of Brazil for sev ...

's phone. Gomes was responsible for "inciting groups of demonstrators to embrace antidemocratic agendas", according the PF's report, which also highlighted his proximity to the leaders of the

Élcio Franco

A former advisor to the ' ministry and former number two at the Ministry of Health, Colonel Élcio Franco was accused of plotting to falsify vaccine records. The Federal Police investigation uncovered his coordination with Lieutenant-Colonel Mauro Cid to plan a coup d'état. In audio messages, Franco suggested mobilizing 1,500 men from the Armed Forces to set off the coup. Cid and Franco discussed which military units and commanders they thought they could count on. They also discussed using

special forces Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

() to assassinate then-commander Freire Gomes if he showed an unwillingness to support the coup.

Carlos Bolsonaro

In early February, police raided the home of Bolsonaro's son, Carlos, in an investigation into misuse of Brazil's spy agency for spying on anti-government officials and civilians (such as ministers of the supreme federal court and superior electoral court, as well as federal deputies, senators and others).

Actions

Complicity with the 8 January Brasília attacks

* Former Minister of Justice Anderson Torres was detained due to evidence of complicity with the protests.

Timeline

2021

* March 30: A military crisis was triggered when Brazil's highest

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

officials resigned in response to

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

's attempts to politicize the

armed forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a ...

. * September 7: In a demonstration, Bolsonaro swore and said that he would no longer comply with court decisions by Justice Alexandre de Moares. He also said that "Either the head of this power frames his own, or this power will suffer what we do not want".

2022

* July 5: Ministerial reunion where Bolsonaro discussed plans for a possible coup d'état instructed ministers to raise doubts about the electoral process. * July 18: Jair Bolsonaro spreads false information about electronic voting machines and attacks the Electoral Court in a meeting with foreign ambassadors, which was broadcast on TV Brasil and on social media. * October 30: During the second round of the 2022 Brazilian presidential election police operations were carried out by the

Federal Police of Brazil The Federal Police of Brazil () or Department of Federal Police () is a Federal government of Brazil, federal law enforcement agency of Brazil and One of the most know nationals Polices forces of the Executive Power of Brazil. Besides with Políc ...

and the Federal Highway Police. They targeted public transportation vehicles, mainly in the

Northeast Region, Brazil The Northeast Region of Brazil ( ) is one of the five official and political regions of the country according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. Of Brazil's twenty-six states, it comprises nine: Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará ...

, allegedly with the aim of ensuring transportation safety according to their supporters, or delaying the arrival of these vehicles at polling places according to critics. In the evening, Bolsonaro is defeated by Lula in the

second round The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of Un ...

of the elections. Pro-coup demonstrations begin, with roadblocks and camps set up in front of Brazilian Army barracks. * December 15: Audio recordings between Ailton Gomes and Mauro Cid. * December 24: Attempted bomb attack at Brasília airport by a group of members of the pro-coup demonstrations.

2023

* January 8: Invasion and vandalism of the National Congress, the Planalto Palace and the Supreme Federal Court by a mob of radical Bolsonaro supporters. * January 12: The Federal Police find in the home of Anderson Torres, former Secretary of Public Security of the Federal District and former Minister of Justice of the Bolsonaro government, the draft of a decree that would establish a "state of defense" to intervene in the TSE and declare Bolsonaro as president-elect. * January 14: Anderson Torres is arrested. * January 23: Anderson Torres' first testimony to the Federal Police. * February 2: Anderson Torres' second testimony to the Federal Police. * June 30: By a vote of 5 to 2, the Superior Electoral Court declared former President Jair Bolsonaro ineligible for eight years. The practice of abuse of political power and improper use of the media was recognized during a meeting held at the Palácio da Alvorada with foreign ambassadors on July 18, 2022. * September 7: Jair Bolsonaro's former aide-de-camp, Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cid, enters into a plea bargain agreement.

2024

* February 8: Operation ''Tempus Veritatis'' begins * February 9: Video is released from the ministries meeting where the coup plan was discussed. * March 15: Former Brazilian Army commander, General Freire Gomes, tells the Federal Police that Bolsonaro presented the draft of the intervention decree in the Electoral Court (TSE) to the commanders of the Armed Forces in late 2022. * August 27: The Brazilian Army opened a Military Police Inquiry (IPM) to investigate four military personnel for possible crimes related to the drafting of the "Letter to the Army Commander from Senior Active Officers of the Brazilian Army". This letter, according to investigations by the Federal Police, was used as an instrument of pressure on the then–army commander, General Freire Gomes, to support a coup d'état in 2022. * November 19: Operation Counterattack begins. * November 21: The Federal Police formally accused Bolsonaro and 36 people ( Operation Counterattack) for an attempt to overthrow Brazil's democratic institutions, which included planning and ordering the assassination of President Lula and Vice President

as well as Supreme Court Justice

in 2022 in order to keep Bolsonaro in power after his term would legally end. * December 14: Army General Walter Braga Netto, who was Bolsonaro's running mate in 2022 and former Minister of Defense, is arrested by Federal Police.

2025

* February 18: Brazilian Attorney General Paulo Gonet formally indicted Bolsonaro for leading a criminal organization, an attempted coup d'état, and an attempt to violently abolish the democratic rule of law. Former Defense Minister Walter Braga Netto, former Minister of Institutional Security Augusto Heleno, former Navy Commander Almir Garinier, and 31 other individuals were also indicted. * March 26: The first panel of the

(STF) unanimously decides to accept the Brazilian Attorney General complaint and consider Jair Bolsonaro and seven other allies as defendants for attempting a coup d'état. * May 18 - June 2: The Supreme Federal Court heard 52 witnesses, both for the defense and the prosecution. * June 9 - 10: Minister

, rapporteur of the case at the Federal Supreme Court, hears the testimonies of whistleblower

and the other 7 defendants from the central nucleus of the coup plot, including former president Jair Bolsonaro.

Notes

;Notes

References

External links

Constitution of the Federative Republic of Brazil
pdf; 432 pages

{{Plots and conspiracies Attempted coups in Brazil Jair Bolsonaro Articles with excerpts Attempted self-coups 2020s coups d'état and coup attempts