(Brasilia) A former Brazilian parliamentarian, supporter of outgoing far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, threw grenades to prevent his arrest and thus injured at least two police officers, the authorities announced on Sunday.
Posted at 9:17 p.m.
Former Congressman Roberto Jefferson was facing a prison sentence from the Supreme Court (STF) for having violated the conditions of his house arrest, after attacking on social networks the president of the highest jurisdiction.
At the time of the arrest, in the town of Levy Gasparian (state of Rio de Janeiro, south-east), Mr. Jefferson “reacted” and two police officers “were injured by shrapnel from a grenade he launched, ”said the Federal Police (PF).
PHOTO ADRIANO MACHADO, REUTERS ARCHIVES
Former Congressman Roberto Jefferson at a pro-gun rally, July 2020
The two people affected received medical attention and are in good health, added the PF, who reinforced the police presence at the scene.
Jair Bolsonaro distanced himself from the former parliamentarian, tweeting: “Anyone who shoots a police officer must be treated like a bandit. I express my solidarity with the police officers injured in this episode”.
The head of state had previously condemned the “armed action” of Mr. Jefferson, who confined himself for eight hours to his home and confirmed in a video that he had used weapons, but apparently without intention injure law enforcement officers.
Jair Bolsonaro, however, also criticized the judicial investigations against the ex-MP which, in his opinion, are being carried out “without any constitutional reason or any prosecution”. He also dispatched his Minister of Justice on the spot.
STF magistrate Alexandre de Moraes had ordered Mr. Jefferson returned to prison based on several breaches of the conditions of his house arrest.
Roberto Jefferson recently called STF president Carmen Lúcia a “witch” and a “prostitute.”
This incident comes a week before the second round of the presidential election next Sunday, where Jair Bolsonaro will face former left-wing president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (2003-2010), favorite in the polls.
“The offenses committed against Carmen Lúcia cannot be accepted by anyone who respects democracy. A form of violence has been created in society. A machine for destroying democratic values. This generates behaviors like the one we saw today,” Lula wrote on Twitter, also expressing his solidarity with the injured.