International Desk: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has fired Army Chief General Julio Cesar de Arruda two weeks after an unprecedented riot by supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro. He has also fired dozens of military officers in recent days, the BBC reported.
General Tomas Ribeiro Paiva, considered close to the president, replaced General Arruda as army chief. Arruda has been the army chief since December 30, before the end of Bolsonaro’s term. At that time, Lula suspected that many members of the armed forces had colluded with the protesters who took part in the January 8 riots in the capital, Brasilia.
That day in Brasilia, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed key government buildings after marching almost unhindered across the capital. The President’s Palace, the Congress and the Supreme Court were vandalized in their rampage, several police officers were also injured in the violence.
Brazil’s central police said about 2,000 people had been arrested in connection with the riots, with 1,200 still to be released. His former justice minister and close ally, Anderson Tohis, was arrested a few days ago on charges of ‘interfering’ with police efforts to protect government buildings.
The Supreme Court is now investigating the events of that day, they are even looking into Bolsonaro’s role. Advisers say they believe hard-right Bolsonaro incited the riots by posting a video questioning the legitimacy of last year’s presidential election. But Bolsonaro has denied any involvement in the riots or accusations of inciting them.
On the other hand, Bolsonaro, who went to the United States to avoid attending Lula’s inauguration, is still staying in Florida.
