Brazil. Request for the arrest of the head of public security after the riot

Alexandre de Moraes, Justice of the Supreme Court Brazilordered the arrest of Anderson Torres, former justice minister in Jair Bolsonaro’s government and head of public security in Brasilia, where thousands of demonstrators vandalized the Supreme Court building, congress and president’s offices.

Torres, who was removed from office on Sunday, was not in town when the riots broke out. In a Twitter post, he announced that he would return to Brazil from Orlando, where he was on vacation, and that he would “turn himself into the hands of justice.”

Moraes also demanded the arrest of Fabio Augusto Vieira, head of Brasília’s military police and responsible for protecting key government buildings in Brazil.

In the arrest warrant, Moraes cited a failure to ensure the presence of adequate security forces during the riots. He also referred to the permission to enter the city of more than 100 buses with supporters of Jair Bolsonaro and the failure to close the camp where supporters of the former president had been gathering for months.

“At such a critical time for Brazilian democracy, where anti-democratic protests continue all day long, military buildings are occupied all over the country, there is no excuse for ignorance or incompetence,” Moraes said.

Reuters reported that police units arrived at the Torres family’s residence in an exclusive area of ​​Brasília and bags of documents were removed from the building.

Across the city, police began questioning more than 1,000 demonstrators after they were detained when soldiers dismantled an encampment set up outside army headquarters.

The protesters called for a military coup and the reversal of the election results won by Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Moraes, who is investigating the “anti-democratic” demonstrations, has vowed to fight “terrorists” calling for a coup d’état.