Brazil protests: 400 arrested in capital as Lula condemns ‘barbarism’ after storming of congress – live | Brazil

The governor of Brasília, Ibaneis Rocha, has just said on Twitter that 400 people have now been arrested in connection with today’s attacks.

“I come to inform you that more than 400 people have already been arrested and will pay for the crimes committed. We continue working to identify all the others who participated in these terrorist acts this afternoon in the Federal District. We continue to work to restore order,” he wrote.

Bolsonaro’s nephew reportedly among crowds in Brasília

Tom Phillips

At least one member of the Bolsonaro clan was reportedly present as extremists ran riot in Brazil’s capital today. Brazilian media reports claim the ex-president’s nephew, Leonardo Rodrigues de Jesus, was among the crowds.

Democratic congressman Joaquin Castro has joined Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s call for former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro’s extradition from the US.

Bolsonaro, who has yet to comment on today’s events, has recently been seen in Florida.

Joaquin Castro, a member of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, told CNN that Bolsonaro had used “the Trump playbook to inspire domestic terrorists to try and take over the government”.

“Right now Bolsonaro is in Florida … he should be extradited to Brazil.”

“Bolsonaro should not be in Florida. The United States should not be a refuge for this authoritarian who has inspired domestic terrorism in Brazil.”

If you’re just joining us, here is where things stand in Brasília, where it is 8.30pm. My name is Helen Sullivan and I’ll be bringing you the latest from Brazil for the next few hours. You can find me on Twitter @helenrsullivan.

• Supporters of Brazil’s far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro on Sunday invaded the country’s Congress, presidential palace and supreme court, in a grim echo of the US Capitol invasion two years ago by fans of former President Donald Trump.

• At about 6.30 pm local time, three hours after the initial reports of the invasion, security forces managed to retake the three buildings, Brazilian media reported. TV images showed dozens of rioters being led away in handcuffs.

• Leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, known widely as Lula announced a federal security intervention in Brasília lasting until 31 January after capital security forces initially were overwhelmed by the invaders. Lula defeated Bolsonaro in election run-offs last year.

• In a press conference, Lula blamed Bolsonaro and complained about a lack of security in the capital, saying authorities had allowed “fascists” and “fanatics” to wreak havoc. “These vandals, who we could call fanatical Nazis, fanatical Stalinists … fanatical fascists, did what has never been done in the history of this country,” said Lula, who was on an official trip to São Paulo state. “All these people who did this will be found and they will be punished.”

• The sight of thousands of yellow-and-green clad protesters running riot in the capital capped months of tension after the 30 October vote. Bolsonaro, an acolyte of Trump’s who has yet to concede defeat, peddled the false claim that Brazil’s electronic voting system was prone to fraud, spawning a violent movement of election deniers.

• There was no immediate word from Bolsonaro, who has barely spoken in public since losing the election. He flew to Florida 48 hours before the end of his mandate and was absent from Lula’s inauguration. The violence in Brasília could amplify legal risks Bolsonaro faces. It also presents a headache for US authorities as they debate how to handle his stay in Florida.

• US Democratic members of Congress Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Joaquin Castro called for Bolsonaro’s extradition from the US. “The US must cease granting refuge to Bolsonaro in Florida,” Ocasio-Cortez said, as she compared the protests to the 6 January storming of the US Capitol, saying: “Nearly two years to the day the US Capitol was attacked by fascists, we see fascist movements abroad attempt to do the same in Brazil.”

• The supreme court, whose crusading Justice Alexandre de Moraes has been a thorn in the side of Bolsonaro and his supporters, was ransacked by the occupiers, according to social media images that showed protesters clubbing security cameras and shattering the windows of the modernist building.

• Brasília Governor Ibaneis Rocha wrote on Twitter that he had fired his top security official, Anderson Torres, previously Bolsonaro’s justice minister. The solicitor general’s office said it had filed a request for Torres’ arrest.

In his press conference a short while ago, Lula announced a “federal security intervention” in Brasília lasting until 31 January after capital security forces initially were overwhelmed by the invaders.

He blamed Bolsonaro and complained about a lack of security in the capital, saying authorities had allowed “fascists” and “fanatics” to wreak havoc.

“These vandals, who we could call fanatical Nazis, fanatical Stalinists … fanatical fascists, did what has never been done in the history of this country,” said Lula, who was on an official trip to São Paulo state.

“All these people who did this will be found and they will be punished.”

We now have more detailed comments on today’s events from US president, Joe Biden, who says he condemns what he calls the “assault on democracy and on the peaceful transfer of power in Brazil”, and that Brazil’s democratic institutions “have our full support and the will of the Brazilian people must not be undermined”.

Protestors ransacked office of Brazil’s first lady – reports

Tom Phillips

According to the Folha de São Paulo newspaper, one of the offices ransacked in the presidential palace was that of Brazil’s first lady, Rosângela Lula da Silva. Footage from the office shows documents littering the floor and upended chairs and tables.

At least one historic work of art, by the master painter Di Cavalcanti, was severely damaged as rioters stormed through the building.

Bolsonaro supporters ‘used code’ to summon protests – reports

Tom Phillips

Reports in Brazil suggest pro-Bolsonaro extremists used code to summon Sunday’s attack on the presidential palace, the supreme court and congress.

According to the newspaper O Globo, radicals were told to assemble for “Selma’s party” – supposedly a way of sidestepping monitoring of their illegal activities.

Selma is a name similar to the military salutation Selva! (Jungle!) which has roots in special forces army troops from the Amazon region.

The UK foreign secretary James Cleverly has pledged President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva the UK’s “full support” after raids also centred on the presidential palace and the supreme court in Brasília.

Cleverly said Lula and “the government of Brazil have the full support of the UK”.

“The violent attempts to undermine democracy in Brazil are unjustifiable,” the foreign secretary tweeted.

Earlier, his Labour shadow David Lammy sent the party’s “full support and solidarity to President Lula and the Brazilian people at this troubling time”.

“This is an appalling attack on democracy, with chilling parallels to the storming of the US Capitol,” he added.

Brazil’s GloboNews is reporting that the country’s Congress, supreme court and presidential palace have all been retaken by security forces.

The Guardian has not verified this independently but we will let you know as soon as we have more detail.

GloboNews has also shared footage of the aftermath of the attack on the palace taken by the minister of communications, Paulo Pimenta, in which he says of his office: “Look what the vandals did here! The chaos. Unbelievable. They are criminals.”

US president Joe Biden has called the storming of Brazil’s presidential palace and supreme court “outrageous”, according to Reuters, as White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Biden was “following the situation closely”.

“The United States condemns any effort to undermine democracy in Brazil. President Biden is following the situation closely and our support for Brazil’s democratic institutions is unwavering. Brazil’s democracy will not be shaken by violence,” said Sullivan.

The Guardian’s Brazil correspondent, Tom Phillips, reports that, according to Brazilian TV, 150 people have now been arrested.