Flávio Bolsonaro defends former president against coup plot blame

Senator claims operation is a "smokescreen" to tarnish Bolsonaro's political image Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ), son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, stated that the military personnel mentioned in a Federal Police investigation were "second or third-tier" agents and that his father cannot be held accountable for the actions of others. Flávio also remarked that the operation aims to damage the ex-president's political image. Coup attempt: Federal police arrest four military officers and one federal agent in plot to assassinate Lula, Alckmin, and Moraes in 2022 G20 Social: Final statement advocates taxing the ultra-wealthy and condemns far-right misinformation — It seems more like a smokescreen to somehow link Bolsonaro and tarnish his political image. Once again, he has no direct or indirect responsibility. They were second or third-tier agents. You can't hold a person accountable for another's actions. If it's true, obviously no one knew. It seems much more like a narrative, again trying to involve Bolsonaro — the senator told GLOBO. Flávio Bolsonaro further argued that merely intending to kill is not a crime and downplayed the significance of the coup plot being printed within the Presidential Palace. — No matter how repugnant it is to think about killing someone, no crime was committed. A crime needs to have been attempted, to have begun. We need to find out who printed it, but is the crime printing it? — he said. Timeline: Arsenal, route mapping and coup attempt: the plan to assassinate Moraes, Lula, and Alckmin, according to Federal Police According to the Federal Police, the five individuals under investigation not only contemplated the plan but also participated in preparatory acts aimed at undermining institutions and preventing the inauguration of a newly elected president. Under current legislation, the crime of violently abolishing the Democratic Rule of Law also applies to participation in the "planning" of a coup d'état. Similarly, congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL-SP) downplayed the Federal Police's findings: — Sometimes we say things without meaning them, there's no crime in that. Introductory acts aren't crimes. We need amnesty to move past this chapter in Brazil's history — said the congressman, referring to the ongoing legislative proposal. The Federal Police identified that General Mário Fernandes, former deputy head of the General Secretariat of the Presidency, printed the "operational plan" at the Presidential Palace, which aimed to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and Vice President Geraldo Alckmin. According to the police, the plan, named "Green and Yellow Dagger," consisted of three pages and was printed in the General Secretariat's office. Fernandes, who temporarily held the ministerial position, was arrested on Tuesday morning. The information was collected from phone company records and data stored on the cell phone of Mauro Cid, Bolsonaro's former aide-de-camp. In discussions between Fernandes and Cid, the general sought to persuade Bolsonaro's aide to convince the then-president to act before the Army command was transferred to military officials appointed by the then-president-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and the coup movement lost momentum. According to the Federal Police, Cid replied that Bolsonaro "is waiting to see the support he has." The translation of this text into english was carried out by Project Irineu, O GLOBO's initiative to develop artificial intelligence tools. Here is the link to the original report.