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Brazilian President Lula
Photo: Marcelo Camargo / dpa
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva says he suspects that the radical supporters of his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro had support from inside the authority when they stormed the presidential palace in Brasília.
"I am convinced that the door of the Planalto Palace was opened to let people in because no door was broken," Lula said at a press event Thursday.
The head of state announced a "thorough" investigation of the security personnel in his office.
"We will calmly investigate what really happened," said the 77-year-old.
His security personnel should be “re-evaluated”.
Lula said in his conversation with journalists that numerous "Bolsonaro supporters and soldiers" had been hired in the palace.
"Let's see how we can remedy the situation," he continued.
Hundreds of Bolsonaro supporters broke into the congress building, the presidential palace and the seat of the Supreme Court in the capital Brasília on Sunday and wreaked havoc there for hours.
Her anger was vented at the election victory of the left-leaning Lula, who narrowly defeated the right-wing extremist Bolsonaro in a runoff and has been in office since the beginning of the year.
According to the latest official figures, more than 2,000 people were arrested after the attack on the government district, and 1,159 were imprisoned.
Investigations into possible organizers and sponsors behind the storm are ongoing.
On Wednesday, the Brazilian judiciary had already issued an arrest warrant for the capital's security chief, Anderson Torres, who had already been fired.
The responsible judge Alexandre Moraes accused Bolsonaro's close confidante Torres of secret complicity with the rioters.
His failure to prevent the attack on state facilities is "potentially criminal."
kev/AFP
