Bolsonaro to surrender passport as Brazil probes 'coup'

Brazilian police said Thursday they were raiding suspects accused of orchestrating an invasion of the seat of power last year, apparently including far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro, whose lawyer confirmed he would surrender his passport.

Federal police said they were carrying out dozens of search and seizure operations and executing four arrest warrants in an operation targeting a "criminal organization involved in the attempted coup," a reference to Bolsonaro supporters' invasion of the presidential palace, Congress and Supreme Court on January 8, 2023.

Another 48 restraining orders were issued, with measures including suspects' suspension from public duties and requirements to surrender their passports within 24 hours, police said in a statement.

Police did not name the suspects, but Bolsonaro's lawyer and adviser Fabio Wajngarten confirmed in a statement on X, formerly Twitter, that Bolsonaro would comply with an order to hand over his passport.

Four army generals were also targeted in the raids, according to Brazilian media reports, including Bolsonaro's former defense minister and vice presidential candidate Walter Braga Netto and one of his closest advisers, Augusto Heleno.

The head of Bolsonaro's Liberal Party (PL), Valdemar Costa Neto, was also reportedly a target.

The riots came one week after veteran leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's inauguration as president following a narrow election win over Bolsonaro in October 2022.

Tens of thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed the halls of power, trashing the premises and calling for the military to oust Lula, alleging, without evidence, that the election was stolen.