Lula sacks army chief in connection to January 8 riots

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Following the January 8 riots, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva dismissed Julio Cesar de Arruda as chief of the Brazillian armed forces, according to military sources cited by AFP on Saturday.

Arruda had just assumed the position on December 30, two days before Bolsonaro's term was ended, and he had only been confirmed by the Lula government in early January.

According to GloboNews, he is set to be succeeded by Tomas Ribeiro Paiva, the southeastern army commander.

It is worth noting that in light of the riots, Lula da Silva dismissed, earlier in the week, 40 members of the armed forces who were guarding his presidential residence.

Last week, Lula said that any "radical bolsonarista" caught still working for the government would be dealt with. 

"How can I have a person outside my office who might shoot me?" he asked while suspecting that members of security services may have had a hand in the riots.

Brazil Supreme Court Jan. 8 riots investigations to include Bolsonaro

The Supreme Court in Brazil, in its investigation into the incitement of the January 8 Brazil riots, agreed to include former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.

The request to investigate Bolsonaro came from the Attorney General's office to the Supreme Court in a statement, on Friday, that specified that the investigation looked at the “instigation and intellectual authorship of anti-democratic acts that resulted in episodes of vandalism and violence in Brasilia last Sunday.” 

According to the court, there are seven different probes pertaining to the January 8 riots in Brasilia, among which there is one that investigated Bolosonaro's ties.

A video that questioned the electoral process

The evidence cited by the AG's office which compelled Justice Alexandre de Moraes to grant the request was a video that Bolsonaro had posted to Facebook two days after the Brasilia riots, in which an attorney in Mato Grosso allegedly questioned the legitimacy of Brazil's presidential election that brought Lula da Silva to office, once again.

More specifically, the video argued that Lula da Silva's election was brought on by a decision from the Supreme Court and Brazil's electoral offices rather than through a democratic election, thus questioning the legitimacy of the entire electoral process.

The video, however, was deleted from Facebook the morning after it was posted.

Prosecutors have maintained that, despite the fact that the video was posted after the riots took place, it remained plausible evidence to probe into Bolsonaro's role in the incitement of the riots. The prosecutors further noted that the video had "the power to incite new acts of civil insurgency."

Moreover, it was stated that the video might lead to Bolsonaro being charged with a "crime of incitement," which is punishable by three to six months in prison or a fine.

De Moraes' decision also included a request for a hearing to look into political communication on platforms such as WhatsApp and Telegram.

Bolosonaro was not alone

In addition to Bolsonaro, his former Justice Minister Anderson Torres, has also been included in the investigation following an arrest order by de Moraes for his “neglect and collusion.”

According to de Moraes, Torres fired subordinates and fled to the US prior to the riots, which opened the door for the riots to take place. 

Despite de Moraes's allegations, Torres denied any wrongdoing. Notwithstanding Torres' denial, the investigation has discovered a draft decree in his home that outlined seizing control of Brazil’s electoral authority and possibly overturning the election.