Brazilian police arrest five in alleged plot to kill president Lula and stage coup

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva gestures onstage during the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty festival ahead of the G20 summit, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 16, 2024. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes

BRASILIA/SAO PAULO (Reuters) -Brazilian police on Tuesday arrested five people suspected of involvement in an alleged coup attempt in which they planned to kill then president-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his vice-president weeks before they took office, police said.

The arrests were the first time in the investigation that federal police have mentioned a plot to kill Lula and Geraldo Alckmin, his choice as vice-president.