() — The suspect in an attack in Brasilia says he wanted to sow chaos in the country to prevent the president-elect, luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, to take office.
The man arrested for allegedly being involved in an attempted bombing at the Brasilia airport over the weekend said in a written statement to the Civil Police that he intended to “provoke an intervention by the Armed Forces.”
The suspect, identified as George Washington de Oliveira Sousa, 54, a gas station manager, wrote that he sought to “prevent the establishment of communism in Brazil.”
The statement, read by , said Sousa wanted to “create chaos” so that a “state of siege in the country” would be installed that would prevent President Lula from taking office in January.
According to the police statement, Sousa arrived in Brasilia from his home state of Pará on October 12. His goal was to join other Bolsonaro supporters who were camped out in front of the Armed Forces headquarters calling for a coup to put the current president in power after his electoral defeat.
An explosive device was found in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, on December 24, 2022. (Credit: Adriano Machado/Reuters)
In his statement, Sousa said that he was inspired by President Bolsonaro to spend more than US$30,000 to purchase the weapons and ammunition.
They re-evaluate measures for the possession of Lula
In a statement sent to , the Civil Police confirmed that the suspect intended to commit a crime at the airport and that they are carrying out new searches. No further arrests have been made, according to the Civil Police, and the camp remains in front of the Army headquarters.
“We will not allow in Brasilia these types of demonstrations that threaten lives, the right of people to come and go or even property,” said the head of the Civil Police, Robson Cândido.
The Army, the Military Police of the Federal District and the Ministry of Justice of Brazil affirm that they are aware of the matter and will continue to investigate the circumstances. has also reached out to Bolsonaro for comment.
Flavio Dino, the future justice minister in Lula’s government, wrote that the event “demonstrated that the so-called ‘patriotic’ camps have become incubators for terrorists.” “Measures are being taken and will be expanded as quickly as possible (…) President Lula’s inauguration will take place in peace. All procedures will be re-evaluated with a view to strengthening security. And the fight against terrorists and agitators will be intensified Democracy has won and will win,” he said.
