8 January Brasília attacks

[28] During Bolsonaro's tenure as president of Brazil, his allies and supporters floated the idea of an assault like the United States Capitol attack of 6 January 2021 in the event he lost his re-election bid.[31] Supporters of Bolsonaro were also inspired by other international events in 2022 that bolstered the far-right such as the Canada convoy protests, the elections of Bongbong Marcos in the Philippines, and Giorgia Meloni in Italy.In Brasília, a group had camped in front of the Army Headquarters [pt], demanding that the Armed Forces carry out a military coup; in January, Lula's government attempted to remove these protesters and, when this failed, ordered reinforced security.[35] Militant far-right Bolsonaro supporters stormed the Federal Police headquarters in Brasília and torched vehicles on the street after one of the protesters was arrested for inciting violence to prevent Lula's swearing-in.[38] On 2 January 2023, former Bolsonaro minister Anderson Torres was appointed chief security officer of the Federal District by the reelected governor Ibaneis Rocha.[46] Anonymous government officials told The Washington Post that the buses that transported Bolsonaro supporters to Brasília had been paid for by donors from ten states, including some involved in agribusiness.[48] According to the police, the rioters were prepared and appeared to know the location of key infrastructure such as fire hydrants, according to Alan Diego dos Santos Rodrigues, who was arrested for the attempted bombing at the Brasília International Airport.[citation needed] He was candidate for federal deputy for the Brazilian Woman's Party (PMB) in 2022, and had been detained in 2016 for invading the National Congress during a protest asking for military intervention.He also allegedly took part in the march from army headquarters to the Praça dos Três Poderes, and was reportedly heard saying that "pacifism has ended", which meant, according to police, that he intended to invade the federal buildings.[51] On the morning of 7 January, more than 100 buses arrived in Brasília from all parts of Brazil, bringing in radical Bolsonaro supporters to join the ~500 protesters camped in front of Army Headquarters and raising the total number of people there to over 4,000.At around 14:00 BRT (UTC−03:00), an mob of protesters, some armed with sticks, stones and sharp objects, broke through an ~30 men strong Military Police and Special Operations Battalion [pt] (BOPE) barrier near the Cathedral of Brasília, with physical confrontation breaking out between the protesters and policemen, who, while outnumbered, used pepper spray, batons and riot shields in an unsuccessful attempt to disperse the rioters.Protesters also extended a Brazilian flag in the windows of the building in an attempt to protect against the rubber bullets, water cannons and stun grenades used by police.Some rooms were severely damaged, and a small group of invaders was able to get into restricted areas of the building, with some attempting to enter President Lula's office, although they were barred by security.[53] By 16:40, the military police's riot and cavalry units had arrived at the plaza and begun dispersing rioters with batons, pepper spray and stun grenades.Ibaneis Rocha later asked the secretary-executive of public security of Brasília, Fernando Sousa to retake control over the Congress building and "arrest as many as possible".[65] By around 17:00 BRT, security forces had regained control of the Congress building, and almost managed to retake the Supreme Court, though some rioters remained encamped in its parking garage.[69] The Brazilian Army arrived in military trucks in the late afternoon and ambushed the intruders in the presidential palace through the back door, the rioters had left the building by 18:45 BRT, with some being escorted out by the police.[84] In addition to structural damage, several works of art, mainly paintings, vases, and historical objects such as chairs, clocks, carpets, and tables) were damaged, stolen or destroyed during the attack[85][86][87] In the Planalto, the desk used by former president Juscelino Kubitschek was reportedly destroyed after it was used in a barricade, and As Mulatas [pt], a painting by modernist Emiliano Di Cavalcanti, was stabbed repeatedly.[90] A rare clock made by Balthazar Martinot given by the French court to John VI of Portugal was thrown to the ground by a protester who was later arrested by police.[94] Furniture brought from the Monroe Palace was damaged, as well as an inkwell from the times of the Empire of Brazil, a Persian carpet,[95] and the chair used by Rosa Weber, designed by Jorge Zalszupin.[84] Electronic devices – including laptops, phones, desktops, printers, photographic lenses and televisions – were also damaged or stolen by protesters;[96] other items, such as an original of the 1988 constitution book and a Coat of arms of Brazil, were initially taken by the rioters, but later found among the rubble in the Supreme Federal Court building.[108] On 9 January 2023 (one day after the Brasília attacks), three transmission towers in the states of Rondônia and Paraná (both of which are Bolsonaro's strongholds) were pulled down and cut off of Brazil's power grid.[114] Some of those arrested before and during the attack were carrying knives, machetes, stilettos, scissors, pocket knives, small wooden stakes, slingshots with marbles and tin spheres, cloth soaked with vinegar (for use against tear gas and pepper spray), and even explosives such as grenades, materials for making Molotov cocktails, blowtorches and fireworks, among other weapons, with police reporting that some protestors could have been carrying firearms during the invasion; many also wore balaclavas, gas masks, gloves, ski masks, and protective equipment, possibly as an effort to hide their identities.He also ordered camps set up by protesters outside military bases cleared out within 24 hours, as well as all roads and buildings occupied by them, and removal of all anti-democratic posts by Bolsonaro supporters from Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok.[118][119] An earlier attempt by federal government officials to arrest suspects involved in the attack at the camp on the night of 8 January was blocked by Brazilian Army commander Júlio Cesar de Arruda.[48] The total number of those detained by 9 January was at least 1,418, with ~222 detained in the Praça dos Três Poderes and around 1,196 in the camp in front of the Army Headquarters, according to the National Justice Council (CNJ); many of those arrested were taken to the Papuda Penitentiary Complex and the "Hive" women's penitentiary, of the total prisoners, 599 (mostly elderly, homeless people, people with physical or mental problems, and mothers accompanied by children) were later released on humanitarian grounds.[123][124][125] On 10 January, Moraes issued arrest warrants for the former public security secretary of Brasília Anderson Torres and the Federal District Military Police chief, Fabio Augusto Vieira.[128] The National Congress meanwhile authorised Lula's decree for federal intervention in Brasília and deputy justice minister Ricardo Cappelli's appointment to oversee it.