In a shocking revelation, a group of conspirators used codenames to conceal their identities while plotting to plunge Brazil into chaos by assassinating a high-profile supreme court judge, Alexandre de Moraes. This scheme, aimed at destabilizing South America’s largest democracy, was brought to light during a recent trial involving former President Jair Bolsonaro.
Operating within an encrypted messaging group, the plotters adopted various codenames to maintain secrecy. One member used the alias Brazil, while others chose Japan and Austria. Judge Moraes described these aliases as names of teams, highlighting the organized nature of their plans. He vehemently denounced the alleged assassination attempt as a direct assault on Brazil's democratic institutions.
The chilling plot, dubbed Operation Copa 2022 (Operation World Cup 2022), involved at least six operatives from special forces. Just before 9 PM on December 15, 2022, the individual codenamed Austria inquired within their Signal group, “Are you going to cancel the game?” while lurking near Moraes’s home in Brasília. In response, a participant using the codename Germany directed an “Abort” to halt the mission, according to a federal police report.
This alarming conspiracy was at the center of Bolsonaro's historic trial, culminating in a 27-year prison sentence for attempting to orchestrate a coup following his defeat in the 2022 elections to leftist opponent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, commonly known as Lula. During the trial, Judge Moraes accused Bolsonaro of leading a sprawling conspiracy that included plans to not only assassinate him but also Lula and vice-president-elect Geraldo Alckmin. The intent was to prevent them from assuming power on January 1, 2023.
Moraes revealed that the hitmen planned to “neutralize” him with “extremely powerful weapons” capable of penetrating his bullet-proof vehicle. Additionally, they considered using poison to eliminate Lula during public appearances. Following the exposure of the alleged poison plot, Lula expressed his gratitude for being alive, underscoring the gravity of the situation.
Despite the serious allegations, Bolsonaro has categorically denied any involvement, dismissing the claims as “a little story.” However, Judge Moraes asserted that there is “ample evidence” suggesting Bolsonaro was aware of Operation World Cup 2022, which was part of a broader scheme referred to as Green and Yellow Dagger.
Investigators uncovered a blueprint for a clandestine operation containing “terrorist hallmarks,” which was printed in the presidential palace on December 6, 2022, by army general Mário Fernandes. At that time, Gen. Fernandes was a senior official in Bolsonaro’s administration and has since been arrested. Moraes emphasized that this plan was not concocted in secrecy but rather executed within the seat of the Brazilian government, with Bolsonaro present.
The meticulous planning for the assassination attempt included detailed assessments of success probabilities, potential collateral damage, and specific weaponry to be utilized. A copy of the Green and Yellow Dagger plan revealed intentions to employ a range of weapons, including assault rifles, a belt-fed machine gun, and even a Swedish anti-tank weapon, typically used on battlefields like Ukraine. The police report described these as weapons of war, commonly associated with combat groups.
Brazil has witnessed more than a dozen coup attempts since its establishment as a republic in 1889, yet none have previously involved assassination plots against those targeted. Historian Lucas Pedretti remarked that while the existence of such plans might be shocking, it does not imply that they have not occurred in the past. The 2022 plot gained attention due to unprecedented investigations and trials of the coup plotters.
Pedretti, who studies Brazil’s brutal military dictatorship from 1964 to 1985, noted that the armed forces still propagate the narrative that the violent regime was a justified response to perceived communist threats. This mindset, particularly prevalent among special forces, reflects their historical approach of eliminating perceived enemies. “In Bolsonaro’s attempted coup, they simply harnessed this logic to further their political ambitions,” he stated.
