MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazil: Federal Police launches 3rd phase of Operation Lesa Pátria

Operation Lesa Pátria is now “permanent, with periodic updates on the number of warrants issued, people captured, and fugitives,” the Federal Police said

Brazilian Federal Police (PF) Friday launched the third phase of Operation Lesa Pátria (lèse patria) by serving arrest and search-and-seizure warrants across five states and the Federal District, Agencia Brasil reported.

The police deployment seeks to identify people who participated, financed, or encouraged the Jan. 8 events of vandalism against the headquarters of the three branches of government in Brasilia.

According to investigators, 11 preventive arrest warrants and 27 search and seizure warrants were served in Rio de Janeiro (nine search and seizure warrants and one arrest warrant), Minas Gerais (four search and seizure warrants and two arrest warrants), Paraná (one search and seizure warrant and one arrest warrant), Santa Catarina (one search and seizure warrant and one arrest warrant), Espírito Santo (eight search and seizure warrants and four arrest warrants), and Distrito Federal (four search and seizure warrants and two arrest warrants).

The warrants were issued by the Federal Supreme Court (STF) in response to the actions of coup plotters who “promoted violence and widespread damage against property, furniture and objects” in the Planalto Palace, the National Congress, and the STF.

According to the Federal Police, “the facts investigated constitute, in theory, the crimes of violent abolition of the Democratic State of Law, coup d'état, qualified damage, criminal association, incitement to crime, destruction and deterioration or destruction of specially protected property.

Operation Lesa Pátria is now ”permanent, with periodic updates on the number of warrants issued, people captured, and fugitives,” the Federal Police said.

(Source: Agencia Brasil)