Former Brazilian Congressman Roberto Jefferson, who has ties with President Jair Bolsonaro, refused his arrest by firing a gun and throwing grenades at police officers.
Authorities revealed the situation with Jefferson on Sunday and Bolsonaro immediately condemned the armed attack of his former ally, distancing himself from the suspect and calling him a "bandit."
Ex-Congressman Rober Jefferson's Stand-Off With Police
The Federal Supreme Court (STF) has ordered the former congressman to be taken back into custody after he was found to have broken the terms of his house arrest by issuing online attacks against Supreme Court Justice Carmen Lucia. The former Bolsonaro ally called the justice a "witch" and a "prostitute."
Jefferson proceeded to barricade himself inside his home, which was located in Levy Gasparian in Rio de Janeiro state, for eight hours to elude police authorities. In a video that he posted on social media after he had fired a gun at law enforcement personnel, he said that he did not intend to injure the officers, as per France24.
On the other hand, the Federal Police indicated that Jefferson had resisted arrest using "firearms and explosives" but was later taken into custody in the evening after an "intense negotiation." Two police officers were reportedly wounded by shrapnel from a grenade that was thrown by the former congressman. Fortunately, the victims were given medical attention and were said to be in good condition.
According to the Washington Post, Jefferson previously boasted in 2020 of his personal friendship with President Bolsonaro. The arrest of the former congressman came a week before the second and final round of Brazil's fierce presidential election that pit Bolsonaro against former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
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The latter, a left-wing populist, has maintained a narrowing lead in head-to-head polls throughout the campaign. However, Bolsonaro and some of his political allies and supporters have suggested that they would not accept an election loss.
The confrontation followed the Supreme Court's efforts to rein in the rampant disinformation that flooded the internet ahead of the vote. It also came amid rising tension between Bolsonaro and his most radical supporters against the Supreme Court and top electoral court.
Despite criticizing Jefferson's actions, Bolsonaro also repudiated the court's investigations of the former congressman, who was arrested in 2021 amid the crackdown on misinformation and disinformation from so-called digital militias that the court argued attempted to undermine the country's democracy.
Bolsonaro claimed that such investigations did not have any support in the country's Constitution. But electoral authorities have said that misinformation, disinformation, and violent content online, including claims that candidates are Satanists, cannibals, or alcoholics, have increased in Brazil in the last few weeks.
The president could face a major setback with Jefferson's conduct as police have long been core supporters of the president's tough-on-crime rhetoric and are deeply divided over the incident on Sunday. Furthermore, the clash also hit the country's currency and stocks, which tumbled on Monday as analysts flagged concerns of electoral violence and waning optimism that Bolsonaro could win the vote against Lula da Silva, Reuters reported.
