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Brazil’s president-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will receive extra security during his inauguration on Sunday after police said they foiled a bombing plot. File Photo by Christophe Petit Tesson/EPA-EFE
Dec. 26 (UPI) — The inauguration of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as Brazil’s next president will go ahead as planned on New Year’s Day, the incoming justice minister declared after an alleged bomb plot was foiled.
Lula’s choice for justice minister, Flavio Dino, said in a Twitter post on Sunday that all procedures for the inauguration “will be reassessed, with a view to strengthen security” after authorities accused a right-wing supporter of outgoing President Jair Bolsonaro of planting a bomb near the capital in an attempt to stop the transition of power.
Authorities alleged the bomb was planted on a fuel truck near Brasilia’s international airport but did not go off. It was disarmed on Saturday and the suspected bomber was arrested.
Police claimed the unidentified 54-year-old man planted the bomb in an effort to “sow chaos. He is allegedly one of several co-conspirators who planned to stop Lula from taking office, claiming his election victory was not legitimate.
Prosecutors quoted the suspect as saying he had worked out a plan with pro-Bolsinaro demonstrators “to provoke an intervention by the armed forces and the declaration of a state of siege to prevent the inauguration of communism in Brazil,” the Spanish news agency EFE reported.
“What motivated me to acquire the weapons (seized at his home) were the words of President Bolsonaro, who always emphasizes the importance of civilian armament,” he suspect allegedly said.
Police said he admitted the plan was to detonate a number of bombs across the capital city to push Brazil into a state of emergency.
Right-wing supporters of the outgoing president have continued to demonstrate since his runoff election loss in October.
Bolsonaro, like his supporters, blames faulty voting machines for his loss. His Liberal Party attempted to challenge the results of the election but was denied in court
