Bomb convict says extremists mapped out Powers – 07/21/2023 – Politics

Arrested and convicted of trying to blow up a bomb near Brasília airport, Alan Diego dos Santos Rodrigues told the Civil Police of the Federal District that an extremist group made up of retired military personnel collected information about the security of authorities and about the facilities of the STF (Federal Supreme Court) and the National Congress.

The extremists — called “Red Berets” or “paratroopers” — were armed and charged for services, he said. They offered to manufacture and install the explosive in the tanker truck in December, but Alan Diego said he decided to do it himself, with the help of George Washington de Oliveira Sousa.

The report was collected by the Civil Police during an interview with Alan Diego on January 26. The intelligence report produced from the information was delivered to the CPI on January 8th and obtained by the Sheet.

“Members of this group [paraquedistas] would charge for ‘services’ and would have, according to Alan Diego, carried out surveys related to the safety of installations and authorities of the Federal Supreme Court and the National Congress, as well as electrical power stations in Brasília”, says the document.

“Alan Diego reported that members of the group (he called ‘mercenaries’) wanted to charge to manufacture and transport the bomb on December 24, 2022. In view of this, Alan himself decided to place the explosive device in a truck that was parked in the vicinity of Brasília International Airport”, he continues.

According to the report, Alan Diego said that he and George Washington drove around the federal capital and analyzed the STF building, in case they decided to kill then president-elect Lula (PT) or minister Alexandre de Moraes. The intention against Lula was revealed by the Minister of Justice, Flávio Dino (PSB), in an interview with the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo in February.

“Questioned about George Washington’s intention to do long-distance shooting training with a scope, Alan Diego stated that, together with George Washington, they would have driven around Brasília passing by the STF to reconnoitre the place in case they decided to ‘get the bat on Xandão or Lula'”, says the document.

George Washington and Alan Diego also attended a Senate public hearing on November 30. As shown to Sheetlegislative police suspect that some of the vandals who invaded the three Powers on January 8 took advantage of the entrance to map some parts of the building.

It drew the attention of the Legislative Police that some aggressors were prepared to climb the National Congress and seemed to know, for example, where the fire hydrants were — turned on so that the water would help contain the effect of the tear gas bombs.

Alan Diego also told the Civil Police that the “paratroopers” visited Ana Priscila Silva de Azevedo in the hotel sector of Brasilia “often” and “would be close” to Diego Dias Ventura. They took part in the January 8 attack and are identified as two of the main leaders of the coup movement.

Diego was arrested by the PF (Federal Police) this Thursday (20) in Campos dos Goytacazes (RJ) as part of Operation Lesa Pátria. Ana Priscila has been preventively arrested since January by decision of Moraes.

The performance of the so-called “Red Berets”, “paratroopers” or “PQDs” was also described by Abin (Brazilian Intelligence Agency). As shown to Sheeta report prepared by the agency on December 27, 2022 warned of the presence of extremists in the camp set up in front of the Army headquarters, in Brasília.

According to Abin, the group —without a centralized structure— is made up of reserve soldiers from the Army’s Parachute Infantry Brigades, “who share a similar political-ideological position, a radical discourse of delegitimizing the rule of law and a propensity for violent action.”

“Its members express a discourse of constitutional rupture and demonstrate a willingness to engage in violent actions. In addition, they cultivate images of readiness that they are waiting for a supposed presidential order that will trigger them”, stated the report.

Less than two weeks before the January 8 attack, Abin also wrote that the Red Berets had “the capacity, motivation and means” to plan, execute or support violent acts, and put the inauguration of the president-elect at risk.

“Moreover, [o grupo] can act as an inducer of acts of vandalism and obtain the adhesion of occupation participants who originally did not demonstrate a propensity for violence”, completed the agency in the report sent to the governments of Jair Bolsonaro (PL), Ibaneis Rocha (MDB) and to the transitional cabinet.

Alan Diego has been in prison since January 17. In May, he was sentenced to five years and four months in prison for the attempted explosion of the tanker truck.

The third party directly involved in the episode, Wellington Macedo, is on the run from justice. The report was unable to contact the defense of Ana Priscila and Diego Ventura.