Brazil: Bolsonaro’s Justice Minister arrested at the airport

Anderson Torres, Brazil’s Justice Minister under President Jair Bolsonaro, who was in charge of public security in Brasilia when supporters of the former president stormed government buildings last Sunday, was arrested today in the Brazilian capital on suspicion of “omissions” and “synergy”.

Torres was arrested at Brasilia airport upon his return to the country.

He was on vacation in Florida, the same US state where Bolsonaro went, after losing last year’s election.

One of Torres’ lawyers confirmed the arrest to Reuters.

The former minister had said on Thursday that evidence found by police in the raid on his home had been distorted.

Superior Court Judge Alejandro de Moraes issued an arrest warrant for Torres on Tuesday. It was not immediately clear what the charges were, but Moraes spoke of alleged “omissions” and “collusion” by the former minister.

The director general of the Federal Police, Andrey Rodríguez, said earlier in the week that “various omissions, allegedly deliberate, made by those responsible for public security in the Federal District contributed to the organization of terrorist acts.”

Brazilian police found a draft decree at Torres’ home on Thursday that they said appeared to be a proposal to interfere in the outcome of the October election that Bolsonaro lost to Luis Inacio Lula da Silva.

According to Anderson Torres, the document was “leaked in bits and pieces” after it was seized when he was not at his residence and was likely part of a pile of documents to be destroyed.

Upon learning of Moraes’ arrest warrant, Torres also said on Twitter on Tuesday that he would cut short his vacation and return to Brazil to surrender.

Justice Minister Flavio Dino had given Torres until Monday to return, saying he would begin extradition proceedings after that deadline.

RES-EMP

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