The military reached an agreement with Lula to postpone the arrest of Bolsonaro-supporting terrorists who had taken refuge in the army headquarters camp.
The president wanted the arrests to take place on the night of January 8th, but agreed with the risks that the action would present at that time. The dialogue between the military and the government was tense.
247 - After invading and vandalizing the headquarters of the Three Branches of Government in Brasília on the 8th, the Bolsonaro supporters took refuge in their encampment set up in front of the Army headquarters. Following an order from the Supreme Federal Court (STF), the Military Police of the Federal District went to the location to arrest the criminals. However, the Army negotiated the postponement of the arrests and the dismantling of the encampment until the morning of the 9th.
According to Folha de S. PaulThe military, in addition to discussing the postponement with the Minister of Justice and Public Security, Flávio Dino (PSB), and with the interventor in the Security of the Federal District, Ricardo Cappelli, received the approval of President Lula (PT).
The president wanted the arrests to be carried out that very night, but agreed with the risks the operation would present at that time. "People close to the president also say that the Army informed Lula that there were armed people in the camp. The military argued that a tragedy would occur if the operation were carried out at night."
Lula's approval was given to General Gustavo Henrique Dutra, the military commander of the Planalto Palace, during a meeting between the officer and the security intervention officer for the Federal District, Ricardo Cappelli.
The meeting between Dutra and Cappelli took place at the Queen of Peace Military Cathedral in Brasília, shortly after the criminals were expelled from the Esplanade of Ministries.
Cappelli had ordered the Military Police to go to the camp to make the arrests, but the Army blocked the police from entering the site. The interventor then contacted Dino, in an attempt to obtain support for the operation. Dutra, in turn, called the Minister-Chief of the GSI (Institutional Security Office), Gonçalves Dias, to argue that the best decision would be to postpone the operation until the following morning.
Dias then passed the phone to the president, who was beside him. "According to accounts from people with knowledge of the matter, Dutra stated that a nighttime operation, without planning, could result in confusion. There was concern among the military that a possible loss of control during the dismantling of the camp could cause a stampede, confrontation with the police, and violence. Lula agreed that, if there was a risk of tragedy, it would be better to carry out the operation the following day. The president, however, argued that the coup plotters were criminals and that arrests should be made."
Also participating in the negotiations were the Ministers of Defense, José Múcio Monteiro, and of the Civil House, Rui Costa, and the now former Army commander, Júlio César de Arruda. "The meeting was described by participants as tense, with divergent positions among members of the government. Dino and Rui Costa even advocated for a more incisive action during the early morning hours, while Múcio was aligned with the military in favor of the operation the following day," according to the report.
On the morning of the 9th, 1.200 Bolsonaro supporters were arrested and taken in dozens of buses to the National Academy of the Federal Police for screening.
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