Roberto Jefferson, a former government official and supporter of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, shot and wounded two police officers with a firearm. Eventually, he was put into custody.
On Sunday, a politician in Brazil fired grenades at federal police officers attempting to capture him, resulting in an hours-long siege.
Roberto Jefferson, a former government official and supporter of President Jair Bolsonaro, shot and wounded two police officers in the Rio de Janeiro neighborhood of Comendador Levy Gasparian.
Mr. Jefferson sent a WhatsApp video message to his supporters in which he stated that he would not surrender: “I didn’t shoot anyone to hit them. No one. I fired against their vehicle and approached them. There were four of them, and I told them to leave or I would catch them.
“I am setting an example; I am planting a seed: fight oppression and tyranny. Blessed be Brazil!”
Early in the evening, he was brought into custody, and his detention comes just days before Brazil’s presidential runoff election on October 30.
Mr. Jefferson was also arrested for attempted murder, according to the Brazilian federal police.
In preparation for the forthcoming election in Brazil, the Supreme Court has been cracking down on disinformation and anti-democratic speech.
This has prompted opposition from Mr. Bolsonaro’s committee, which views these additional restrictions as censorship. Mr. Jefferson, who was imprisoned for making threats against the court’s judges, is among the most strident detractors.
In January, Mr. Jefferson was permitted to serve out his preventive detention under house arrest circumstances.
According to Justice Alexandre de Moraes, Mr. Jefferson broke the terms of his home detention on many occasions and was forced to return to prison.
Mr. Jefferson’s comparison of a female justice to a prostitute on social media was one such action.
During a live social media broadcast, Mr. Bolsonaro promptly repudiated Mr. Jefferson and criticized his threats against the Supreme Court, which led to his first arrest and Sunday’s attack.
The president also moved to distance himself from his old ally: “There’s not a single photo of him and me,” he declared, despite his opponents publishing many photos of the two on social media.
Mr. Bolsonaro also stated that he dispatched Justice Minister Anderson Torres to the site without elaborating on his role.
A second politician, Daniel Silveira, was also convicted of instigating physical attacks against the court and other officials by the Supreme Court earlier this year. After Mr. Silveira voted in the first round of the election on 2 October, Mr. Bolsonaro promptly obtained a pardon and permitted him to appear alongside him.
Mr. Jefferson’s outrageous actions shocked many, even though some may have been accustomed to far-right politicians and activists disrespecting Supreme Court Justices.
Arthur Lira, the president of the Lower House of Congress and a Bolsonaro admirer, tweeted: “Brazil is horrified as it watches events this Sunday that has reached their ludicrous apex. We will not accept setbacks or assaults on our democracy.”
Some have lauded Mr. Jefferson as a hero for standing up to the Supreme Court, while others have viewed the events with skepticism. During his detention, several gathered outside his home to express their support.
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a former president who is running for reelection, stated that Mr. Jefferson “had unacceptable behavior. It is not typical conduct.”
On October 30, the runoff election between Mr. Bolsonaro and Mr. da Silva is set to take place.
