Bolsonaro Hospitalized in US After Brasilia Riots, O Globo Says
Daniel Carvalho
Mon, January 9, 2023
(Bloomberg) -- Brazil’s ex-President Jair Bolsonaro has been admitted to a US hospital with abdominal pain a day after his supporters stormed Brasilia demanding military intervention against his loss in the October election, according to his wife.
The conservative leader, who traveled to the US on Dec. 30 to skip the inauguration of his successor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, is being treated at the AdventHealth Celebration, a hospital near Orlando, O Globo newspaper reported earlier, without revealing how it obtained the information.
Bolsonaro’s wife confirmed he’s hospitalized though she didn’t say where. A former aide to Bolsonaro, who requested anonymity to discuss his heath, said he was being treated for possible intestinal obstruction. The ex-president has undergone several surgeries after being stabbed in the abdomen while campaigning in 2018.
The former president on Monday evening posted a photograph of himself on his Twitter page showing him in a hospital bed, adding that he’s in Orlando. “Thanks for the prayers and messages of speedy recovery,” he said.
Emails and calls to the US hospital went unanswered.
While Lula has alleged that Bolsonaro had been encouraging the riots in Brasilia, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Monday the Biden administration hasn’t received any requests from Brazil to extradite the former president.
Bolsonaro published on social media on Sunday, speaking out against the depredation of public buildings carried out by his supporters in Brasilia, and again on Monday, touting his government’s achievements.
--With assistance from Felipe Marques.
Bolsonaro hides in Florida while violent supporters do his dirty work in Brazil | Opinion
the Miami Herald Editorial Board
Mon, January 9, 2023
Marcelo Chello/AP Photo
As former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro retreated to a luxury gated community in Florida — where he has been seen doing mundane things like grocery shopping — his marauding supporters Sunday defaced Brazil’s Congress, presidential office building and Supreme Court.
It’s impossible not to see the irony of another far-right leader who, for years, incited his base with unfounded allegations of voter fraud. He takes off, leaving the dirty work to be done by his army of blind loyalists. He then lands in the Sunshine State, home of Donald Trump, who incited the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol invasion with similar conspiracy theories, and the hotbed of America’s extreme right-wing politics at the hands of Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Republicans.
There aren’t two sides to what happened in Brazil’s capital of Brasilia on Sunday — or at the U.S. Capitol in 2021. These weren’t mere expressions of an opinion or dissatisfaction with government. As Brazil’s justice minister rightly described it, these were acts of terrorism and coup mongering.
And it’s not surprising. Ever since Bolsonaro lost an October election to Luiz Inacio “Lula” da Silva, there’s been the threat and fear of violence. Days before Lula’s inauguration last week, a bomb was discovered on a fuel truck near Brasilia’s airport.
The brand of conservative politics disseminated by Bolsonaro, and Trump, cannot be dissociated from violence. They are steeped in the belief that “progress” should be achieved at all costs, even if it means dismantling the democracy that allowed them to be elected in the first place. Little differentiates them from fascist movements of the 20th century.
It’s no wonder that a political movement that preaches complete annihilation of opponents, that feeds on misinformation and hatred toward minorities culminates in an attack on democratic institutions. It’s disturbing — though expected — that Bolsonaro supporters in Miami greeted as a hero a Brazilian congresswoman and Bolsonaro ally who followed, while pointing a gun, a Black man in Sao Paulo after an argument the day before the elections in October. They act much like Trump rally attendees who cheered when the former president said he would like to punch a protester in the face.
Brazil’s rabid mob acted just days after the two-year anniversary of Jan. 6. In both cases, the intent was to reverse the results of a fair election. One sought to stop Congress’ certification of Electoral College results giving Joe Biden the win. The other demands a military intervention like the 1964 coup that sent Brazil into 20 years of an authoritarian regime that tortured and killed dissidents.
The main difference is that the Brazilian Congress wasn’t in session on Sunday. Unlike Biden on Jan. 6, 2021, Lula had already been sworn in as president. So it’s unlikely that the storming of the buildings in Brasilia could have achieved more than sowing fear and chaos in Latin America’s largest democracy. However, Bolsonaro’s radicals have been convinced by fake news and ludicrous theories circulated on chat apps like WhatsApp that the Brazilian army is just waiting for a signal to interfere.
Rioters broke windows, toppled furniture, punctured a painting by a renowned Brazilian artist, ripped the door off a supreme court justice’s office and more. Not even a watch brought by the Portuguese king to Brazil in 1808 was spared. So far, more than 400 people have been arrested, according to CNN Brazil. Another 1,200 who had been camping outside military headquarters in Brasilia have been detained.
No one expected Bolsonaro to act like a statesman while all this happened. He could be facing criminal charges in Brazil related to his doings as president.
He tweeted Sunday that the depredation and invasion of public buildings are “outside the rules.” He then proceeded to play the victim, writing — while police were clearing out his supporters from inside those same buildings — that he rejects “baseless” accusations by Lula. The next day, as his country still tried to make sense of the violence performed in his name, he made several posts listing what he described as 37 accomplishments of his presidential term.
Trumpism and Bolsonarism aren’t defined by self-reflection and love for country. Their main trait is self delusion. There are no facts, no arguing, no pleading that will stop these men — and their zombie-like followers — from inflicting harm on these democracies.
Bolsonaro’s stay in Florida — where Trump only grew in popularity after his first term — is a shameful reminder that too many people are drinking their poisoned Kool-Aid.
Bolsonaro’s Florida Stay Morphs Into Biden Quandary After Riot
Courtney McBride, Eric Martin and Jennifer Jacobs
Mon, January 9, 2023
(Bloomberg) -- Jair Bolsonaro’s presence in the US has turned into a diplomatic quandary for President Joe Biden after supporters of the former Brazilian leader stormed government buildings over the weekend.
What initially appeared to be a target for humor — Bolsonaro was photographed eating at a KFC and strolling through a Publix supermarket in Florida after he arrived in the US in Dec. 30 — became far more serious after thousands of his supporters invaded Brazil’s congress, Supreme Court and presidential palace on Sunday. Bolsonaro’s successor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, accused him of encouraging the riots.
The violence bore echoes of the Jan. 6 insurrection in the US, and the Biden administration, which has aligned itself with Lula’s government, is weighing what to do next with Bolsonaro, who was an ally of former President Donald Trump and shared his hard-right populism.
Biden appears to have the power to revoke Bolsonaro’s visa and kick him out of the country, and is already coming under pressure from progressives to do so.
The former president is now hospitalized near Orlando, Florida, with abdominal pains, according to his wife. He’s had several operations since he was stabbed in the abdomen while campaigning in 2018.
He could wage a lengthy legal battle over his status. And then there’s the question of whether Lula and his supporters actually want him back in their country.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Monday that the US hadn’t received an extradition request from Brazil. Behind the silence from Brasilia, administration officials are considering whether they can do anything to spur Bolsonaro to leave the US, according to people familiar with the conversations.
The White House said on Monday evening that Biden and Lula had spoken by telephone, and the American president “conveyed the unwavering support of the United States for Brazil’s democracy.” Biden also invited Lula to visit Washington early next month. The invitation was accepted, according to the statement, which did not mention Bolsonaro by name.
One challenge for US officials seeking to hasten Bolsonaro’s departure is figuring out how he got into the US. There is uncertainty within the administration about what visa he obtained, the people familiar with the matter said. He may have used his diplomatic passport, or he could have used a personal passport and be visiting Florida on a tourist visa.
The discussions of the options are at an early stage, and have included asking him to depart or exploring grounds to cancel his visa, the people said. They asked not to be identified because no decisions have been made.
Trump Connection
Bolsonaro’s fate isn’t just about Brazil. There are heavy political overtones for the US, too. Bolsonaro and Trump are political allies who pursued nationalist agendas and endorsed each other’s re-election bids. Both also fanned suspicions about their country’s election systems and refused to concede after their defeats. Bolsonaro arrived in the US on Dec. 30 while he was still president, skipping Lula’s inauguration.
Steve Bannon, the former Trump strategist who championed false claims of a rigged 2020 US presidential election, used his War Room podcast and posts on the social-media site Gettr to push the idea that the Brazilian election was stolen and to support the rioters.
After Lula defeated Bolsonaro, Bannon posted on Gettr on Oct. 30 that “this Election Was Stolen in Broad Daylight.” Bannon called the rioters “Brazilian Freedom Fighters” on Gettr and said, “Lula stole the Election, Brazilians know that.”
The comments were in keeping with Bannon’s past support for Bolsonaro and his family. After Trump lost his re-election bid, Bannon advised Bolsonaro’s son Eduardo and suggested Bolsonaro’s Brazil was an embodiment of the style of right-wing nationalism Trump had sought to impose in the US.
“In many ways, Brazil’s movement is actually far more advanced than we are in the United States,” Bannon told Bloomberg News at the time.
Some Democratic lawmakers have urged Biden to extradite Bolsonaro, adding to pressure on the administration. Representatives Joaquin Castro of Texas and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York condemned the actions of Bolsonaro’s supporters as domestic terrorism.
“The US must cease granting refuge to Bolsonaro in Florida,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a tweet. “Nearly two years to the day the US Capitol was attacked by fascists, we see fascist movements abroad attempt to do the same in Brazil.”
Bolsonaro’s Condemnation
Bolsonaro condemned the destruction of public property by some of his supporters, taking to Twitter over the weekend to say “depredations and invasions of public buildings like we saw today, like the acts done by the left in 2013 and 2017, are not within the rules.”
But that hasn’t stopped some officials from demanding that he return.
A Brazilian senator asked top court Justice Alexandre de Moraes on Monday to order Bolsonaro’s immediate return to the country. Senator Renan Calheiros said Bolsonaro needs to explain his alleged encouraging of the rioters who stormed Brasilia. He asked the court to issue an arrest order if the former president refuses to cooperate with the investigation.
Moraes, who presides over an investigation of alleged acts against Brazil’s democracy, has already issued several arrest warrants for Bolsonaro’s supporters.
US administrations have moved quickly in the past to respond to extradition requests when they come. In 2018, the US extradited former Panama President Ricardo Martinelli, who was later acquitted on espionage and embezzlement charges.
“We have not as of yet received any official request from the Brazilian government related to this issue,” Sullivan said. “If and when we do we’ll deal with it, and if and when we have any information to provide, we will do it.”
Bolsonaro doesn’t yet face criminal charges in Brazil, meaning the Lula government has no basis for an extradition request. That could change as its investigation into the riots proceeds.
While declining to discuss Bolsonaro individually, State Department spokesman Ned Price said that people who travel to the US on what’s known as an A visa, which is reserved for government officials and diplomats, have 30 days to change their immigration status if they leave their job while in the US.
“It would be incumbent on the visa holder to take that action,” Price said. “If an individual has no basis on which to be in the United States, that individual is subject to removal by the Department of Homeland Security.”
Asked if the US was waiting for Lula’s government to reach out, Sullivan said “I don’t want you to take that as the implication.”
“The United States takes action on visas all the time, for all kinds of reasons,” Sullivan said. “On this particular case, this particular individual, again, I have to proceed with extreme caution in terms of how I talk about it because of the legal issues and precedent issues involved.”
--With assistance from Josh Wingrove.
Daniel Carvalho
Mon, January 9, 2023
(Bloomberg) -- Brazil’s ex-President Jair Bolsonaro has been admitted to a US hospital with abdominal pain a day after his supporters stormed Brasilia demanding military intervention against his loss in the October election, according to his wife.
The conservative leader, who traveled to the US on Dec. 30 to skip the inauguration of his successor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, is being treated at the AdventHealth Celebration, a hospital near Orlando, O Globo newspaper reported earlier, without revealing how it obtained the information.
Bolsonaro’s wife confirmed he’s hospitalized though she didn’t say where. A former aide to Bolsonaro, who requested anonymity to discuss his heath, said he was being treated for possible intestinal obstruction. The ex-president has undergone several surgeries after being stabbed in the abdomen while campaigning in 2018.
The former president on Monday evening posted a photograph of himself on his Twitter page showing him in a hospital bed, adding that he’s in Orlando. “Thanks for the prayers and messages of speedy recovery,” he said.
Emails and calls to the US hospital went unanswered.
While Lula has alleged that Bolsonaro had been encouraging the riots in Brasilia, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Monday the Biden administration hasn’t received any requests from Brazil to extradite the former president.
Bolsonaro published on social media on Sunday, speaking out against the depredation of public buildings carried out by his supporters in Brasilia, and again on Monday, touting his government’s achievements.
--With assistance from Felipe Marques.
Bolsonaro hides in Florida while violent supporters do his dirty work in Brazil | Opinion
the Miami Herald Editorial Board
Mon, January 9, 2023
Marcelo Chello/AP Photo
As former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro retreated to a luxury gated community in Florida — where he has been seen doing mundane things like grocery shopping — his marauding supporters Sunday defaced Brazil’s Congress, presidential office building and Supreme Court.
It’s impossible not to see the irony of another far-right leader who, for years, incited his base with unfounded allegations of voter fraud. He takes off, leaving the dirty work to be done by his army of blind loyalists. He then lands in the Sunshine State, home of Donald Trump, who incited the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol invasion with similar conspiracy theories, and the hotbed of America’s extreme right-wing politics at the hands of Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Republicans.
There aren’t two sides to what happened in Brazil’s capital of Brasilia on Sunday — or at the U.S. Capitol in 2021. These weren’t mere expressions of an opinion or dissatisfaction with government. As Brazil’s justice minister rightly described it, these were acts of terrorism and coup mongering.
And it’s not surprising. Ever since Bolsonaro lost an October election to Luiz Inacio “Lula” da Silva, there’s been the threat and fear of violence. Days before Lula’s inauguration last week, a bomb was discovered on a fuel truck near Brasilia’s airport.
The brand of conservative politics disseminated by Bolsonaro, and Trump, cannot be dissociated from violence. They are steeped in the belief that “progress” should be achieved at all costs, even if it means dismantling the democracy that allowed them to be elected in the first place. Little differentiates them from fascist movements of the 20th century.
It’s no wonder that a political movement that preaches complete annihilation of opponents, that feeds on misinformation and hatred toward minorities culminates in an attack on democratic institutions. It’s disturbing — though expected — that Bolsonaro supporters in Miami greeted as a hero a Brazilian congresswoman and Bolsonaro ally who followed, while pointing a gun, a Black man in Sao Paulo after an argument the day before the elections in October. They act much like Trump rally attendees who cheered when the former president said he would like to punch a protester in the face.
Brazil’s rabid mob acted just days after the two-year anniversary of Jan. 6. In both cases, the intent was to reverse the results of a fair election. One sought to stop Congress’ certification of Electoral College results giving Joe Biden the win. The other demands a military intervention like the 1964 coup that sent Brazil into 20 years of an authoritarian regime that tortured and killed dissidents.
The main difference is that the Brazilian Congress wasn’t in session on Sunday. Unlike Biden on Jan. 6, 2021, Lula had already been sworn in as president. So it’s unlikely that the storming of the buildings in Brasilia could have achieved more than sowing fear and chaos in Latin America’s largest democracy. However, Bolsonaro’s radicals have been convinced by fake news and ludicrous theories circulated on chat apps like WhatsApp that the Brazilian army is just waiting for a signal to interfere.
Rioters broke windows, toppled furniture, punctured a painting by a renowned Brazilian artist, ripped the door off a supreme court justice’s office and more. Not even a watch brought by the Portuguese king to Brazil in 1808 was spared. So far, more than 400 people have been arrested, according to CNN Brazil. Another 1,200 who had been camping outside military headquarters in Brasilia have been detained.
No one expected Bolsonaro to act like a statesman while all this happened. He could be facing criminal charges in Brazil related to his doings as president.
He tweeted Sunday that the depredation and invasion of public buildings are “outside the rules.” He then proceeded to play the victim, writing — while police were clearing out his supporters from inside those same buildings — that he rejects “baseless” accusations by Lula. The next day, as his country still tried to make sense of the violence performed in his name, he made several posts listing what he described as 37 accomplishments of his presidential term.
Trumpism and Bolsonarism aren’t defined by self-reflection and love for country. Their main trait is self delusion. There are no facts, no arguing, no pleading that will stop these men — and their zombie-like followers — from inflicting harm on these democracies.
Bolsonaro’s stay in Florida — where Trump only grew in popularity after his first term — is a shameful reminder that too many people are drinking their poisoned Kool-Aid.
Bolsonaro’s Florida Stay Morphs Into Biden Quandary After Riot
Courtney McBride, Eric Martin and Jennifer Jacobs
Mon, January 9, 2023
(Bloomberg) -- Jair Bolsonaro’s presence in the US has turned into a diplomatic quandary for President Joe Biden after supporters of the former Brazilian leader stormed government buildings over the weekend.
What initially appeared to be a target for humor — Bolsonaro was photographed eating at a KFC and strolling through a Publix supermarket in Florida after he arrived in the US in Dec. 30 — became far more serious after thousands of his supporters invaded Brazil’s congress, Supreme Court and presidential palace on Sunday. Bolsonaro’s successor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, accused him of encouraging the riots.
The violence bore echoes of the Jan. 6 insurrection in the US, and the Biden administration, which has aligned itself with Lula’s government, is weighing what to do next with Bolsonaro, who was an ally of former President Donald Trump and shared his hard-right populism.
Biden appears to have the power to revoke Bolsonaro’s visa and kick him out of the country, and is already coming under pressure from progressives to do so.
The former president is now hospitalized near Orlando, Florida, with abdominal pains, according to his wife. He’s had several operations since he was stabbed in the abdomen while campaigning in 2018.
He could wage a lengthy legal battle over his status. And then there’s the question of whether Lula and his supporters actually want him back in their country.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Monday that the US hadn’t received an extradition request from Brazil. Behind the silence from Brasilia, administration officials are considering whether they can do anything to spur Bolsonaro to leave the US, according to people familiar with the conversations.
The White House said on Monday evening that Biden and Lula had spoken by telephone, and the American president “conveyed the unwavering support of the United States for Brazil’s democracy.” Biden also invited Lula to visit Washington early next month. The invitation was accepted, according to the statement, which did not mention Bolsonaro by name.
One challenge for US officials seeking to hasten Bolsonaro’s departure is figuring out how he got into the US. There is uncertainty within the administration about what visa he obtained, the people familiar with the matter said. He may have used his diplomatic passport, or he could have used a personal passport and be visiting Florida on a tourist visa.
The discussions of the options are at an early stage, and have included asking him to depart or exploring grounds to cancel his visa, the people said. They asked not to be identified because no decisions have been made.
Trump Connection
Bolsonaro’s fate isn’t just about Brazil. There are heavy political overtones for the US, too. Bolsonaro and Trump are political allies who pursued nationalist agendas and endorsed each other’s re-election bids. Both also fanned suspicions about their country’s election systems and refused to concede after their defeats. Bolsonaro arrived in the US on Dec. 30 while he was still president, skipping Lula’s inauguration.
Steve Bannon, the former Trump strategist who championed false claims of a rigged 2020 US presidential election, used his War Room podcast and posts on the social-media site Gettr to push the idea that the Brazilian election was stolen and to support the rioters.
After Lula defeated Bolsonaro, Bannon posted on Gettr on Oct. 30 that “this Election Was Stolen in Broad Daylight.” Bannon called the rioters “Brazilian Freedom Fighters” on Gettr and said, “Lula stole the Election, Brazilians know that.”
The comments were in keeping with Bannon’s past support for Bolsonaro and his family. After Trump lost his re-election bid, Bannon advised Bolsonaro’s son Eduardo and suggested Bolsonaro’s Brazil was an embodiment of the style of right-wing nationalism Trump had sought to impose in the US.
“In many ways, Brazil’s movement is actually far more advanced than we are in the United States,” Bannon told Bloomberg News at the time.
Some Democratic lawmakers have urged Biden to extradite Bolsonaro, adding to pressure on the administration. Representatives Joaquin Castro of Texas and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York condemned the actions of Bolsonaro’s supporters as domestic terrorism.
“The US must cease granting refuge to Bolsonaro in Florida,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a tweet. “Nearly two years to the day the US Capitol was attacked by fascists, we see fascist movements abroad attempt to do the same in Brazil.”
Bolsonaro’s Condemnation
Bolsonaro condemned the destruction of public property by some of his supporters, taking to Twitter over the weekend to say “depredations and invasions of public buildings like we saw today, like the acts done by the left in 2013 and 2017, are not within the rules.”
But that hasn’t stopped some officials from demanding that he return.
A Brazilian senator asked top court Justice Alexandre de Moraes on Monday to order Bolsonaro’s immediate return to the country. Senator Renan Calheiros said Bolsonaro needs to explain his alleged encouraging of the rioters who stormed Brasilia. He asked the court to issue an arrest order if the former president refuses to cooperate with the investigation.
Moraes, who presides over an investigation of alleged acts against Brazil’s democracy, has already issued several arrest warrants for Bolsonaro’s supporters.
US administrations have moved quickly in the past to respond to extradition requests when they come. In 2018, the US extradited former Panama President Ricardo Martinelli, who was later acquitted on espionage and embezzlement charges.
“We have not as of yet received any official request from the Brazilian government related to this issue,” Sullivan said. “If and when we do we’ll deal with it, and if and when we have any information to provide, we will do it.”
Bolsonaro doesn’t yet face criminal charges in Brazil, meaning the Lula government has no basis for an extradition request. That could change as its investigation into the riots proceeds.
While declining to discuss Bolsonaro individually, State Department spokesman Ned Price said that people who travel to the US on what’s known as an A visa, which is reserved for government officials and diplomats, have 30 days to change their immigration status if they leave their job while in the US.
“It would be incumbent on the visa holder to take that action,” Price said. “If an individual has no basis on which to be in the United States, that individual is subject to removal by the Department of Homeland Security.”
Asked if the US was waiting for Lula’s government to reach out, Sullivan said “I don’t want you to take that as the implication.”
“The United States takes action on visas all the time, for all kinds of reasons,” Sullivan said. “On this particular case, this particular individual, again, I have to proceed with extreme caution in terms of how I talk about it because of the legal issues and precedent issues involved.”
--With assistance from Josh Wingrove.
Bolsonaro backers ransack Brazil presidential palace, Congress, Supreme Court
Sun, January 8, 2023
By Adriano Machado
BRASILIA (Reuters) -Supporters of Brazil's far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro invaded and defaced the country's Congress, presidential palace and Supreme Court on Sunday, in a grim echo of the U.S. Capitol invasion two years ago by fans of former President Donald Trump.
There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries from their rampage, but the invaders left a trail of destruction, throwing furniture through the smashed windows of the presidential palace, flooding parts of Congress with a sprinkler system and ransacking ceremonial rooms in the Supreme Court.
The sight of thousands of yellow-and-green clad protesters running riot in the capital capped months of tension following the Oct. 30 presidential vote.
The uprising, which lasted a little over three hours, underlined the severe polarization that still grips the country days after the inauguration of leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who defeated Bolsonaro in the October election.
"These vandals, who we could call ... fanatical fascists, did what has never been done in the history of this country," said Lula in a press conference during an official trip to Sao Paulo state. "All these people who did this will be found and they will be punished."
Lula, who announced a federal security intervention in Brasilia lasting until Jan. 31 after capital security forces were initially overwhelmed by the invaders, blamed Bolsonaro for inflaming his supporters after a campaign of baseless allegations about potential election fraud.
The president's allies also raised questions about how public security forces in the capital Brasilia were so unprepared and easily overwhelmed by rioters who had been planning on social media for days to gather for weekend demonstrations.
LEGAL RISK
Bolsonaro, an acolyte of Trump's who has yet to concede defeat, peddled the false claim that Brazil's electronic voting system was prone to fraud, spawning a violent movement of election deniers.
"This genocidist ... is encouraging this via social media from Miami," Lula said, referring to Bolsonaro, who flew to Florida 48 hours before the end of his term and was absent from Lula's inauguration. "Everybody knows there are various speeches of the ex-president encouraging this."
Bolsonaro, whose presidency was marked by divisive nationalist populism, was silent for nearly six hours about the chaos in Brasilia before posting on Twitter that he "repudiates" Lula's accusations against him.
The former president, who has rarely spoken in public since losing the election, also said peaceful demonstrations are part of democracy but invading and damaging public buildings "crosses the line."
The violence in Brasilia could amplify the legal risks Bolsonaro faces. It also presents a headache for U.S authorities as they debate how to handle his stay in Florida. Prominent Democratic lawmakers said the United States could no longer grant Bolsonaro "refuge" in the country.
The Bolsonaro family lawyer, Frederick Wassef, did not respond to a request for comment.
By 6:30 p.m. local time (2130 GMT) security forces had managed to retake the capital's most iconic three buildings.
Brasilia Governor Ibaneis Rocha, a longtime Bolsonaro ally facing tough questions after Sunday's security lapses, said on Twitter more than 400 people had been arrested and authorities were working to identify more.
The invasions were condemned by leaders around the world.
U.S. President Joe Biden called the events an "assault on democracy and on the peaceful transfer of power," adding that Brazil's democratic institutions had full U.S. support.
Far from the capital, Brazilian industries were on alert for a fresh round of unrest from Bolsonaro supporters, whose post-election highway blockades have disrupted grains shipments and meatpacking operations in recent months.
State-run oil company Petrobras stepped up security at its refineries, in a cautionary measure after attack threats against assets including Brazil's biggest fuel plant.
Petroleo Brasileiro SA, as the company is formally known, said in a statement that all its assets and refineries are operating normally.
Analysts warned the unrest could trigger more volatility in Brazil's financial markets, which have swung sharply in recent weeks on doubts about how Lula will reconcile big spending promises with stretched public finances.
JUDGES DENOUNCE "TERRORISTS"
The Supreme Court, whose crusading Justice Alexandre de Moraes has been a thorn in the side of Bolsonaro and his supporters, was ransacked by the invaders, according to images from social media which showed protesters clubbing security cameras and shattering the windows of the modernist building.
Both Moraes and the court's Chief Justice Rosa Weber vowed punishment for the "terrorists" who had attacked the country's democratic institutions. The heads of both houses of Congress denounced the attacks publicly and moved up plans to fly back to the capital, according to people familiar with the matter.
Rocha, the Brasilia governor, said he had fired his top security official, Anderson Torres, previously Bolsonaro's justice minister. The solicitor general's office said it had filed a request for the arrest of Torres.
Torres told website UOL he was with his family on holiday in the United States and had not met with Bolsonaro. UOL reported he was in Orlando, where Bolsonaro is now staying.
On Saturday, with rumors of a confrontation brewing in Brasilia, Justice Minister Flávio Dino authorized the deployment of the National Public Security Force. On Sunday, he wrote on Twitter, "this absurd attempt to impose the will by force will not prevail."
In Washington in 2021, Trump supporters attacked police, broke through barricades and stormed the Capitol in a failed effort to prevent congressional certification of Joe Biden's 2020 election victory.
Trump, who has announced a third bid for the presidency, in 2024, had pressured his vice president, Mike Pence, not to certify the vote, and he continues to claim falsely that the 2020 election was stolen from him through widespread fraud.
(Reporting by Adriano Machado, Anthony Boadle, Lisandra Paraguassu, Ricardo Brito, Peter Frontini, Gabriel Araujo; Writing by Gabriel Stargardter; Editing by Brad Haynes, Daniel Wallis, Lincoln Feast and Michael Perry)
By Adriano Machado
BRASILIA (Reuters) -Supporters of Brazil's far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro invaded and defaced the country's Congress, presidential palace and Supreme Court on Sunday, in a grim echo of the U.S. Capitol invasion two years ago by fans of former President Donald Trump.
There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries from their rampage, but the invaders left a trail of destruction, throwing furniture through the smashed windows of the presidential palace, flooding parts of Congress with a sprinkler system and ransacking ceremonial rooms in the Supreme Court.
The sight of thousands of yellow-and-green clad protesters running riot in the capital capped months of tension following the Oct. 30 presidential vote.
The uprising, which lasted a little over three hours, underlined the severe polarization that still grips the country days after the inauguration of leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who defeated Bolsonaro in the October election.
"These vandals, who we could call ... fanatical fascists, did what has never been done in the history of this country," said Lula in a press conference during an official trip to Sao Paulo state. "All these people who did this will be found and they will be punished."
Lula, who announced a federal security intervention in Brasilia lasting until Jan. 31 after capital security forces were initially overwhelmed by the invaders, blamed Bolsonaro for inflaming his supporters after a campaign of baseless allegations about potential election fraud.
The president's allies also raised questions about how public security forces in the capital Brasilia were so unprepared and easily overwhelmed by rioters who had been planning on social media for days to gather for weekend demonstrations.
LEGAL RISK
Bolsonaro, an acolyte of Trump's who has yet to concede defeat, peddled the false claim that Brazil's electronic voting system was prone to fraud, spawning a violent movement of election deniers.
"This genocidist ... is encouraging this via social media from Miami," Lula said, referring to Bolsonaro, who flew to Florida 48 hours before the end of his term and was absent from Lula's inauguration. "Everybody knows there are various speeches of the ex-president encouraging this."
Bolsonaro, whose presidency was marked by divisive nationalist populism, was silent for nearly six hours about the chaos in Brasilia before posting on Twitter that he "repudiates" Lula's accusations against him.
The former president, who has rarely spoken in public since losing the election, also said peaceful demonstrations are part of democracy but invading and damaging public buildings "crosses the line."
The violence in Brasilia could amplify the legal risks Bolsonaro faces. It also presents a headache for U.S authorities as they debate how to handle his stay in Florida. Prominent Democratic lawmakers said the United States could no longer grant Bolsonaro "refuge" in the country.
The Bolsonaro family lawyer, Frederick Wassef, did not respond to a request for comment.
By 6:30 p.m. local time (2130 GMT) security forces had managed to retake the capital's most iconic three buildings.
Brasilia Governor Ibaneis Rocha, a longtime Bolsonaro ally facing tough questions after Sunday's security lapses, said on Twitter more than 400 people had been arrested and authorities were working to identify more.
The invasions were condemned by leaders around the world.
U.S. President Joe Biden called the events an "assault on democracy and on the peaceful transfer of power," adding that Brazil's democratic institutions had full U.S. support.
Far from the capital, Brazilian industries were on alert for a fresh round of unrest from Bolsonaro supporters, whose post-election highway blockades have disrupted grains shipments and meatpacking operations in recent months.
State-run oil company Petrobras stepped up security at its refineries, in a cautionary measure after attack threats against assets including Brazil's biggest fuel plant.
Petroleo Brasileiro SA, as the company is formally known, said in a statement that all its assets and refineries are operating normally.
Analysts warned the unrest could trigger more volatility in Brazil's financial markets, which have swung sharply in recent weeks on doubts about how Lula will reconcile big spending promises with stretched public finances.
JUDGES DENOUNCE "TERRORISTS"
The Supreme Court, whose crusading Justice Alexandre de Moraes has been a thorn in the side of Bolsonaro and his supporters, was ransacked by the invaders, according to images from social media which showed protesters clubbing security cameras and shattering the windows of the modernist building.
Both Moraes and the court's Chief Justice Rosa Weber vowed punishment for the "terrorists" who had attacked the country's democratic institutions. The heads of both houses of Congress denounced the attacks publicly and moved up plans to fly back to the capital, according to people familiar with the matter.
Rocha, the Brasilia governor, said he had fired his top security official, Anderson Torres, previously Bolsonaro's justice minister. The solicitor general's office said it had filed a request for the arrest of Torres.
Torres told website UOL he was with his family on holiday in the United States and had not met with Bolsonaro. UOL reported he was in Orlando, where Bolsonaro is now staying.
On Saturday, with rumors of a confrontation brewing in Brasilia, Justice Minister Flávio Dino authorized the deployment of the National Public Security Force. On Sunday, he wrote on Twitter, "this absurd attempt to impose the will by force will not prevail."
In Washington in 2021, Trump supporters attacked police, broke through barricades and stormed the Capitol in a failed effort to prevent congressional certification of Joe Biden's 2020 election victory.
Trump, who has announced a third bid for the presidency, in 2024, had pressured his vice president, Mike Pence, not to certify the vote, and he continues to claim falsely that the 2020 election was stolen from him through widespread fraud.
(Reporting by Adriano Machado, Anthony Boadle, Lisandra Paraguassu, Ricardo Brito, Peter Frontini, Gabriel Araujo; Writing by Gabriel Stargardter; Editing by Brad Haynes, Daniel Wallis, Lincoln Feast and Michael Perry)
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