Capelli asks the PF to investigate the threat to Lula on social media

The executive secretary of the Ministry of Justice, Ricardo Cappelli, ordered this Tuesday (26) that the Federal Police (PF) investigate threats made to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) on social media.

The request is in reference to a comment that was made on a post by federal deputy Nikolas Ferreira (PL-MG), where an internet user wrote that it was necessary to “fundraise to pay a mercenary with a high-precision rifle”.

Capelli announced that he forwarded the determination to the PF via network X (formerly Twitter), without mentioning the name of the author of the comment, but referred to the publication that mentioned a “sniper rifle” to shoot the head of the Executive. According to the executive secretary, social networks cannot be used to encourage crimes against politicians and other authorities.

“Today I am forwarding a determination to the Federal Police to investigate a threat made to President Lula on social media, alluding to a ‘sniper rifle’ and a ‘fundraiser for that’. Social networks are not and will not be a breeding ground for crimes against authorities”, wrote Capelli.

This was not the first threat against Lula that is being investigated in his third term. In January, a man was arrested in Roraima after publishing that “the time has come to put a bullet in the head” of the president. In the same month, volleyball player Maurício de Souza carried out a poll about shooting the president.

In August, a farmer was arrested in Pará after saying he would “shoot President Lula in the stomach” at a beverage distributor. The Police did not publicly present any evidence that the farmer had any ability or intention to actually shoot Lula. For now, the complaint against him appears to be based solely on a mistaken and inappropriate comment he allegedly made publicly in an alcohol store.

The federal government has been using the most recent episodes, such as the hacking of First Lady Janja da Silva’s account, to revive the debate on the regulation of social networks through the fake news PL.