Brazil Arrests Bolsonaro's Running Mate Braga Netto for Obstructing Coup Investigation

Dec 14, 2024, 05:50 PM

Brazilian federal police arrested General Walter Braga Netto, former Defense Minister and running mate of ex-president Jair Bolsonaro, on Saturday in connection with investigations into an alleged coup plot following the 2022 presidential election. The arrest was ordered by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, citing obstruction of justice as the reason for the detention. Braga Netto was detained at his residence in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, during a Federal Police operation supported by the Army, which included searches of his home. He is accused of interfering with investigations into the alleged plan to prevent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from taking office after his election victory. Following his arrest, Braga Netto was taken to the Eastern Military Command (Comando Militar do Leste), a facility he previously commanded, where he is being held in a private cell. After a custody hearing, the Supreme Court maintained his preventive detention. Former Vice President Hamilton Mourão criticized the arrest, calling it "a new page in the trampling of legal norms," and asserting that Braga Netto poses "no risk" that would justify his detention. Ex-president Jair Bolsonaro also questioned the arrest on social media, asking, "How can someone be arrested today for obstructing investigations that have already been concluded?" Braga Netto is among 40 individuals, including Bolsonaro, indicted for attempting to overturn the 2022 election results. The arrest is part of the ongoing investigation into alleged efforts to prevent the inauguration of President Lula.