Brazil Top Court Orders Probe of Bolsonaro Over Insurrection
- Request against ex-president escalates riots’ political impact
- Bolsonaro lawyer says he never had relation with movement
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A Brazilian top court justice ordered an investigation into former President Jair Bolsonaro for the alleged incitement of riots, escalating the political fallout from the insurrection at the nation’s capital on Jan. 8.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes accepted a request presented late on Friday by Brazilian prosecutors, who cited a video containing voter fraud conspiracy theories posted by the former president on his Facebook account on Jan. 10, and deleted a few hours later. The video echoed allegations long repeated by the conservative leader before losing the Oct. 30 runoff, and now by his supporters who do not accept the narrow victory of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.