BRASILIA (Reuters) – Brazil’s Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has ordered the extradition of Brazilian nationals currently in Argentina linked to an alleged 2023 coup attempt, the court’s press office said on Wednesday.
On Jan. 8, 2023, a week after leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s inauguration in 2023, thousands of supporters of former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro invaded and ransacked Brazil’s Congress, Supreme Court and presidential palace.
Some expected the rampage would create chaos justifying a military coup to overturn Lula’s election.
The extradition request was initially brought up by Brazil’s federal police, according to two sources familiar with the matter. It is now with the Justice Ministry, which will then pass it on to the Argentine government, they added.
Earlier this year, Reuters reported that between 50 and 100 Bolsonaro supporters charged with insurrection and vandalism fled to Argentina after right-winger Javier Milei became president in December.
Most of the fugitives have already been tried and convicted by the Supreme Court and face harsh sentences of up to 17 years in prison for planning a coup, a senior police officer involved in the investigation said at the time.
Brazil had asked the Argentine police to identify their whereabouts and status in the country before deciding to request their extradition, police officials said. The fugitives were under movement restrictions.