'Trump of the Tropics' Bolsonaro denies role in Jan 6-style attack on Brazilian capital

Jair Bolsonaro, the former president of Brazil, appeared before federal police on Wednesday and categorically denied any role in the anti-government Jan 6-style riots inthe Brazilian capital.

On 8 January, a week after Brazilian president Lula da Silva took office, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters attacked Congress, the Supreme Court, and the presidential palace in Brasilia.

An inquiry into Bolsonaro's suspected involvement in the January 8 rampage was launched on 13 January by Supreme Court justice Alexandre de Moraes. During the riots, protesters breached the security perimeter and stormed the government buildings.

Investigations are being conducted on the far-right Bolsonaro's suspected involvement in organising the riots.

After spending three months in the US state of Florida, Bolsonaro returned to Brazil in late March.

He was interrogated for more than two hours at the federal police headquarters in Brasilia before leaving in a car with tinted windows. He left without speaking to the media personnel present there.

However, according to Bolsonaro's spokesperson Fabio Wajngarten, who spoke to the media shortly after, former president Bolsonaro "repudiated all the unfortunate events that happened in Brasilia" on the day of the violence.

One of the reasons the probe was started was because Bolsonaro posted a video to social media two days after the riot. In the video, a prosecutor questioned the legitimacy of Lula's win.

According to Bolsonaro's attorney Paulo Bueno, the president had just been brought to the hospital and was on medication at the time he released the video. "The sharing was so accidental that he did not mention it afterwards and soon deleted it," said Bueno after the hearing.

In a contentious election in October, Lula, who previously served as president of Brazil from 2003 to 2010, narrowly secured victory over Bolsonaro.

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The riots were similar to 6 January, 2021 riots that took place in Washington and was spearheaded by Bolsonaro's political hero, former President Donald Trump's supporters.

On 8 January, Bolsonaro's supporters vandalised artwork, offices, and shattered windows while demanding that the military step in to remove Lula. Nearly 1,800 people have been arrested so far, as per the AFP news agency.

To shed light on the events of January 8, Congress will establish a legislative committee of investigation.

But the riots are not controversy Bolsonaro is surrounded with. Police earlier questioned former army captain Bolsonaro on 5 April in connection with a charge that he attempted to unlawfully import jewellery given to him by Saudi Arabia worth millions of dollars. According to a source close to the former president, he disputed the charge.

Bolsonaro is the focus of at least 16 investigations. If he is found guilty, he may get a prison term or lose his right to run for office.

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