Why Jair Bolsonaro will have his passport confiscated by the Brazilian police ?

Jair Bolsonaro. MAXPPP – Andre Borges

Brazilian federal police on Thursday asked Jair Bolsonaro to hand over his passport and plan to arrest some of his closest associates, sources said, as part of the investigation into attempted coup ;#39;State after the electoral defeat of the former president in 2022.

Police went to the ex-president's home and asked for his passport, said three sources who requested anonymity, an order which he will comply with, family spokesperson Fabio Wajngarten said on social media.

According to a federal police source directly involved in the operation, the seizure of passports could mean future arrests by forcing the suspects to stay in Brazil.

Jair Bolsonaro has already been sentenced to eight years of ineligibility until 2030 for spreading false information about the electoral system after his defeat, and faces several criminal investigations . He has denied wrongdoing and claims these investigations are politically motivated.

"Without Bolsonaro, no coup attempt"

Last week, one of his sons, Carlos Bolsonaro, was the subject of a search warrant as part of an investigation into a vast network illegal espionage for the benefit of the former head of state during his mandate (2019-2022).

In a statement released Thursday, federal police said the targets, whom they did not name, are accused of participating in &quot ;a criminal organization as part of an attempted coup d" aimed at "keep the President of the Republic at the time".

According to sources, search warrants were also issued for properties linked to Walter Braga Netto, Jair Bolsonaro's former running mate, Augusto Heleno, his former national security adviser, former Defense Ministers Paulo Nogueira Batista and Justice Anderson Torres, among others.

The former adviser for international affairs, Felipe Martins, is one of the four people who were arrested, according to the sources. Reuters attempted to contact the people targeted by the police operation and their lawyers, but did not immediately receive a response.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who defeated Jair Bolsonaro in the 2022 election, said the coup attempt must be addressed ;an investigation to prevent it from happening again. "Without Bolsonaro, there would have been no coup attempt, said the' #39;current president of Brazil during a radio interview.