Lula Detention Rattles Brazil as Heat on Rousseff Increases
- Police operation follows weeks of setbacks for Rousseff
- March 13 protest could provide gauge for impeachment support
Former Brazilian President Lula Detained in Probe
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As soon as police raided the home of former Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and questioned him early Friday, red-shirted activists of his Workers’ Party took to the streets. Fist fights broke out with police as well as with those applauding the detention -- a preview of the unrest that likely awaits Brazil and its embattled president.
The second term of President Dilma Rousseff has been overwhelmed by twin crises -- an economy crippled by recession and a political establishment under siege by a massive corruption investigation. The probe of Lula, an iconic figure who chose Rousseff as his successor, escalates almost two years of mounting tension.