The Brazilian Minister of Defense, José Mucio, estimated on Friday January 20 that there had been no“direct involvement” of the army in the riots in Brasilia. The minister spoke after a meeting, the first since the ransacking of places of power in the capital, between the military command and the new president Lula.
“I understand that there was no direct involvement of the armed forces, but if an element was involved, he will have to answer as a citizen”, declared José Mucio to journalists at the end of the meeting. The new left-wing president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva received the commanders of the Army, Julio Cesar de Arruda, of the Navy, Marcos Olsen, and of the Air Force, Marcelo Damasceno.
The military leaders “accept” that sanctions be taken against the members of the armed forces involved in the riots, added the Minister of Defence, stressing however that the participants in the meeting had not mentioned the riots strictly speaking.
Lula began a purge within the military apparatus in the service of the executive after expressing his mistrust of certain members responsible for his security. A total of 53 of them were dismissed this week, thirteen of whom were part of the Institutional Security Cabinet (GSI), a government body responsible for assisting the Head of State in his national security and defense policy.