Mistrust leads Lula to remove dozens of military from his security team

Photo: Fabio Rodrigues Pozzebom/ABr

The Brazilian government this week dismissed 55 military service members and one police officer from positions related to the security of presidential facilities and of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva himself.

The staff were assigned to the president’s two official residences, the Department of Presidential Security, and a presidential office in Rio de Janeiro.

The move comes a week after far-right radicals stormed the headquarters of all three branches of government in Brasília.

Last Thursday, Lula told reporters that the presidential palace was “full of [former President Jair] Bolsonaro supporters,” and said he was convinced the building’s door had been opened from the inside — as opposed to broken into. “It means someone facilitated their entry here,” he said. Lula added that he “lost trust” in the military, and that “there were a lot” of police and military officers “conniving” with the rioters.

On the same day he took office, Lula created a new security detail, led by a Federal Police officer. This removed the monopoly of presidential security from the presidency’s Institutional Security Office (GSI), currently led by a retired Army general appointed by Lula.

Chief of Staff Rui Costa on Tuesday told reporters that the previous administration had “little to no tune” with the current one, and thus could not work with the same aides. He added that new changes will be made to both military and civilian personnel in all ministries.