Brazil’s former Minister of Justice and Public Security Anderson Torres was arrested Saturday after returning to the country following his vacation in Florida.
Torres had been in charge of security in the capital city of Brasilia during the Jan. 8 attack on the country’s most powerful government buildings earlier this week and was arrested on suspicion of alleged “omission” and “connivance.” Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes authorized his arrest Tuesday, and Torres opted to make the return to Brazil to defend himself.
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“The omissions of the Secretary of Public Security and the General Commander of the Military Police, narrated in detail in the representation of the police authority, verified, notably with regard to the lack of proper preparation for the announced criminal and terrorist acts, reveal the need to guarantee the public order,” Moraes wrote in the decision ordering Torres’s arrest, according to a translation.
Torres served as the minister of justice from March 2021 until New Year’s Eve of last year, before President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brazil’s current leader, was sworn in. He had been on vacation in Florida, similar to his old boss, former President Jair Bolsonaro, who traveled to the Sunshine State late last year.
Specifics of the charges against Torres are not immediately clear, but he has suggested that evidence collected during a law enforcement search of his home this week was taken out of context. Authorities recovered a draft decree in his home, indicating he had plans to intervene in Bolsonaro’s loss to Lula last October, Reuters reported.
“I received news that Min Alexandre de Moraes of the STF ordered my arrest and authorized a search of my residence. I made the decision to interrupt my vacation and return to Brazil. I will present myself to justice and take care of my defense,” Torres tweeted in response to the arrest order earlier this week, per a translation. “I believe in Brazilian justice and in the strength of institutions. I am certain that the truth will prevail.”
Hoje (10/01), recebi notícia de que o Min Alexandre de Moraes do STF determinou minha prisão e autorizou busca em minha residência. Tomei a decisão de interromper minhas férias e retornar ao Brasil. Irei me apresentar à justiça e cuidar da minha defesa.
— Anderson Torres (@andersongtorres) January 10, 2023
Hundreds of Bolsonaro supporters ransacked the Supreme Court, the National Congress, and the Presidential Palace in Brasilia on Jan. 8 in an assault eerily reminiscent of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot in the United States. Authorities have apprehended more than 1,000 rioters, some of whom vandalized property and smashed windows.
Bolsonaro had elevated claims that electoral malfeasance deprived him of victory in last year’s election, claiming voting machines malfunctioned and sharing social media posts of people questioning the results. He has denied responsibility for the attack and recently received treatment for abdominal pain in Orlando, Florida.
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Brazil’s Supreme Court recently authorized an investigation into Bolsonaro’s role in the riots. World leaders such as President Joe Biden have roundly condemned the attack.
Torres had until Monday to turn himself in or the country would have initiated extradition procedures, current Justice Minister Flavio Dino warned.
