Brazilian police arrest five people for planning coup and murder of President Lula

rio de janeiro - Brazilian police have arrested five people suspected of involvement in an alleged coup attempt in 2022. They were reportedly planning to assassinate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva weeks before he assumed the presidency. Lula's vice president Geraldo Alckmin was also a target.

The coup was reportedly planned for December 15, 2022. In addition to the arrests, search warrants and other measures have been ordered. The suspects are prohibited from contacting each other and leaving the country. A police source revealed that four of the suspects are military personnel who served as security guards at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro this week. The fifth suspect is said to be a police officer.

The leftist politician won the presidential elections in October 2022 and took office as president in January 2023. He succeeded the right-wing populist Jair Bolsonaro, who left for the United States just before the transfer of power and returned to Brazil after three months.