President Lula fires 13 more from his security team after Brazil riots
Jan 18, 2023
Brasilia [Brazil], January 19 : Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Wednesday dismissed 13 more military officers who were assigned to the National Security Advisor's office that is responsible for the president's security, reported France24.
A notice in the official gazette said the 13 troops were dismissed from the institutional security office attached to the presidency.
The decision follows the removal of 40 military officers on Tuesday from the Alvorada presidential residence, as Lula expressed his distrust in the military for failing to act against supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro who stormed government buildings on January 8.
Just days after the attack on the presidential palace, Supreme Court and Congress by backers of far-right ex-president Bolsonaro, Lula said the rioters likely had inside help and hinted at security force involvement.
He ordered a thorough staffing review, saying he was "convinced that the door of the Planalto (presidential) palace was opened for people to enter because there are no broken doors."
The demonstrators were protesting Bolsonaro's loss in the October elections and calling for a military coup to oust Lula and restore the far-right populist leader.
Leftist Lula, 77, beat Bolsonaro by a razor-thin margin in October elections that followed a vitriolic and divisive campaign.
Some 1,400 alleged rioters remained in custody as investigators track down the masterminds and financiers of the January 8 revolt.
So far, 39 people have been officially charged.
Anderson Torres, a former Bolsonaro justice minister who was in charge of Brasilia security but abroad when the riots happened, has been arrested on suspicion of collusion.
Like his former boss, Torres has denied any link to the revolt. He appeared before investigators for a first deposition on Wednesday, and opted to remain silent according to the G1 news portal.
The violence recalled the January 6, 2021 assault on the US Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump.
