Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Saturday fired the country’s army chief, General Julio César de Arruda, amid fears of threats to democracy in the country following riots on January 8 in the capital by supporters of former leader Jair Bolsonaro.
The dismissal of Arruda, who has been commander since December 28, was reported earlier on Saturday by the Brazilian newspaper Folha de S. Paulo and the TV channel Globonews. The source said that he will be replaced by General Tomás Miguel Ribeiro Paiva, commander of the southeastern army.
The Brazilian Army and the Ministry of Defense did not immediately comment on the matter.
Lula said this week that the security services failed on January 8, when supporters of far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro stormed government buildings in Brazil.
Lula has previously said he suspects “military forces” colluding in the uprising, during which several thousand Bolsonaro supporters invaded and looted the Congress building, the presidential palace and the Supreme Court.
Arruda attended a meeting with Lula on Friday, accompanied by Navy Commander Marcos Sampaio Olsen and Air Force Commander Marcelo Caniz Damasceno.
Defense Minister José Musio Monteiro told reporters after the meeting that the January 8 riots were not the main topic of discussion, but added that any military involvement in the riots would be punished.
Recently, Lula said his government would purge hardened Bolsonaro supporters from the security forces. However, many of the demonstrators who rioted in Brazil called for a military coup to return Bolsonaro to power.
