Brazilian authorities have arrested five individuals in connection with a suspected assassination plot against President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his vice president, Geraldo Alckmin, in December 2022.
The federal police released a statement on Tuesday revealing that most of the suspects involved in the alleged plot are military personnel with special forces training. The investigation uncovered a detailed operational plan named ‘Green and Yellow Dagger,’ which aimed to carry out the killings on December 15, 2022. The operation was reportedly designed to target the president and vice president-elect, with the name of the plan likely referencing the colors of Brazil’s national flag.
This marks the first time federal police have specifically mentioned an assassination attempt on Lula and Alckmin as part of the broader investigation into an alleged coup attempt.
On Tuesday, federal police executed five arrest warrants, though the names of those detained were not disclosed. Four of the suspects were apprehended in Rio de Janeiro, where they were reportedly involved in the security operation for the G20 summit. A police officer was also arrested as part of the operation.
Lula won the presidential election in October 2022, defeating the far-right incumbent, Jair Bolsonaro, and assumed office in January 2023. Following the election, supporters of Bolsonaro stormed government buildings in Brasília on January 8, sparking numerous investigations into the violent insurrection and other alleged plots to block Lula’s inauguration.
In October, a source with direct knowledge of the ongoing investigations told Reuters that a federal probe was expected to conclude that Bolsonaro conspired to engineer the coup attempt after losing the election. The investigation is anticipated to be completed this month.
The Brazilian army provided support for the federal operation, which took place across the states of Rio de Janeiro, Goiás, Amazonas, and the Federal District. The police disclosed that the suspects had planned to establish an “Institutional Crisis Management Office” to manage any challenges arising from the coup attempt and had further intentions to capture and assassinate a Supreme Court justice, although the specific judge was not named.
