Brazil Orders Arrest of Senior Officials

An official, former military police commander, has been arrested, reports local media.

Officials also include the former head of public security of the Brazilian capital, Anderson Torres, and others, such as “responsible for the actions and inactions” that caused the unrest, the Prosecutor General's Office said.

But Torres denies his role in the unrest, CNN reports.

While Colonel Fábio Augusto, the police commander, was dismissed after supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro attacked Congress, the Presidential Palace and the Supreme Court.

The riots came a week after President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, widely known as Lula, was sworn in as Brazil's new president.

Dramatic scenes saw thousands of protesters, some dressed in Brazil's yellow football fans, and waving flags, occupied police and robbed the heart of the Brazilian state.

In Tuesday morning, federal intervention in public security accused Torres of “of a structured sabotage operation”.

Ricardo Cappell, who has been appointed to run security in Brasília, said there was a <x0->mage command” by Mr. Torres before government buildings were attacked.

Lula's inauguration on January 1st was “an extremely successful security operation”, Cappell told CNN.

What changed before Sunday was that on January 2nd, “Anderson Torres took office as Secretary of Security, dismissed the entire command and travelled”, he said.

If this isn't sabotage, I don't know what it is,” added Mr. Cappell.

However, Torres said he deeply regretted “absurd phypots” that he played some role in the turmoil.

He said the scenes, which took place during his family holiday, were unfortunate and said it was the most bitter “day” of his personal and professional life.

Lula has accused the security forces of <x0glysing” of their task not to stop “terrorist forces” in Brasília.

On the other hand, former Brazilian President Bolsonaro, who has condemned the riots, has declined defeat from October's tight elections and left for the US prior to the surrender of office on January 1st. On Monday, he was hospitalised in Florida with stomach pains.

A day after the riots, armed officers began to dismantle a Bolsonaro support camp in Brasília ʹ one out of a number that have been set up outside the army barracks across the country since the presidential election.

Authorities arrested 1,200 people, except for 300 people arrested Sunday.