ISLAMABAD/BRASILIA: Brazilian Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes on Tuesday ordered the arrest of public security chief Anderson Torres, who was also holding the portfolio of justice minister in the government of former President Jair Bolsonaro.
Judge order comes after riots
The Supreme Court judge issued the orders after right-wing former President Bolsonaro’s supporters led a rampage through the government buildings in the capital Brasília.
Earlier on Sunday, where thousands of supporters of Bolsonaro vandalised the Supreme Court and Congress buildings and presidential offices.
A former commander of the military police has been arrested, the BBC quoted the local media as saying.
The attorney general’s office said that the arrest orders for Anderson Torres and other responsible officers were issued for their negligence and omissions that led to the riots.
Torres denied that he had any role in the riots.
Earlier, police commander Colonel Fábio Augusto was dismissed from his role after Bolsonaro’s supporters stormed the Congress building, the presidential palace and the Supreme Court.
The rioting in the capital came almost a week after President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was sworn in.
The chaotic scenes saw thousands of protesters, some clad in yellow Brazil football shirts and waving flags, overrun police and ransack the heart of the Brazilian state.
Of the approximately 1,500 people arrested and taken to the police academy, officials said that nearly 600 had been taken to other facilities, where police officials have five days to formally charge them.
Earlier on Tuesday, federal intervenor in public security Ricardo Cappelli accused Torres of “a structured sabotage operation”.
Cappelli, who has recently been appointed to run security in Brasília, said there was a “lack of command” from Torres before government buildings were stormed.
Lula’s inauguration on 1 January was “an extremely successful security operation,” Cappelli told CNN.
