The three Bolsonarists arrested in Paraguayan territory suspected of participating in the undemocratic acts of January 8 are already in Brazil. Among them is blogger Wellington Macedo, one of those convicted of attempting to explode a bomb at Brasília International Airport on Christmas Eve 2022.
Macedo, who was an advisor to current senator Damares Alves (Republicanos-DF) when she occupied the Ministry of Human Rights in the government of Jair Bolsonaro (PL), was on the run and was on Interpol’s wanted list. In an interview with Folha de S.Paulo, in April this year, he had said that he would not turn himself in.
In addition to Macedo, radio host Maxcione Pitangui de Abreu and businesswoman Rieny Munhoz Marcula were arrested in the neighboring country. The Federal Police (PF) confirmed the arrests, which were carried out in Ciudad del Este, on the Paraguayan part of the border with Brazil, in collaboration with the National Police and the Paraguayan Department of Migration.
Macedo and Pitangui were the targets of arrest warrants issued by the Brazilian courts for their involvement in violent acts that sought to prevent the inauguration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT). They were together when they were found by police in Paraguay. According to police officers, Macedo tried to escape, fell and injured himself. Pitangui surrendered without resistance.
Marcula was also wanted by Interpol. She, who had two companies in the beauty and personal care sector, was accused of having financed anti-democratic acts – according to the National Land Transport Agency (ANTT), she had paid for the hiring of a bus that took coup plotters from the interior of São Paulo to Brasília in 8 of January. The businesswoman had been on the run since January 20th.
Editing: Rodrigo Chagas
