International

Lula da Silva: Bolsonaro “will know that in this country the law is for everyone”

Former President Jair Bolsonaro “must prove his innocence” and, if he committed a crime, “he will know that in this country the law is for everyone,” said the president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, on Thursday in statements to a local radio station in Rio de Janeiro.

“They will have the right to defend themselves and say it’s a lie. But if it is proven (the complaint filed by the Prosecutor’s Office) there is no other final solution than the condemnation,” he said in his interview on Rádio Tupi FM.

Lula repeated that “he is not going to speak for Justice,” although he described the complaint filed this Tuesday by the Prosecutor’s Office against the far-right leader and 33 other people as a “serious” act.

“The Workers’ Party was persecuted for almost 50 years without having done even 10% of what the team of the former president (Jair Bolsonaro) tried to do in this country,” said the progressive president.

Lula said he finds it “funny” that the accused for the attempted coup d’état of January 8, 2023, when thousands of extreme right-wing radicals violently invaded the headquarters of the Presidency, the Supreme Court and the Parliament, appeal for an amnesty.

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“What I find funny is that those people are condemning themselves asking for amnesty before being tried. The first thing they have to do is defend their innocence. They are saying that they are guilty asking for amnesty before being tried, and with that they deserve to be condemned,” he said.

“When the former president (Jair Bolsonaro) spends his time asking for amnesty, he is proving that he is guilty, he is proving that he committed a crime,” he said in the face of the efforts of conservative allies to present an amnesty project in the National Congress, which have become stronger after the complaint.

For the invasion of January 8, the Supreme Court has already convicted about 400 people for crimes similar to those that the former president may face.

In his first speech this Wednesday after the complaint, Lula had opted for a more moderate tone towards Bolsonaro, although in the same line.

In a press conference with the Prime Minister of Portugal, Luis Montenegro, the president of Brazil commented that “if they prove that they did not try to strike a coup and that they did not try to kill the president, the vice president and a judge of the Supreme Court,” as the complaint says, “they will be free and will be able to travel throughout the country.”

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Even so, he stressed that “if the judges came to the conclusion that they are guilty, they will have to pay for the mistakes they made.”

Bolsonaro is one step away from sitting on the bench for five crimes, including “attempt to violent abolition of the Democratic Rule of Law”, “coup d’état” and “armed organization to commit crimes,” for which he can receive a 40-year prison sentence.

The defenses of the far-right leader and the other 33 accused of participating in the coup attempt now have a period of two weeks to present allegations.

International

Two killed in shooting at restaurant near Frankfurt Airport

Two people were shot dead early Tuesday at a restaurant in Raunheim, near Frankfurt Airport, according to local police.

Preliminary findings indicate that an armed individual entered the establishment at around 03:45 local time (02:45 GMT) and opened fire on the victims, who died at the scene from their injuries.

The suspect fled and remains at large, while the motive behind the shooting is still unclear, German media reported. Authorities have launched a large-scale search operation.

International

U.S. counterterrorism chief resigns over opposition to war in Iran

Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced Tuesday that he has resigned from his post, citing his opposition to the ongoing war in Iran.

In a post on X, Kent said he could not, “in good conscience,” support the conflict, arguing that Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the United States. He also claimed that the war was driven by pressure from Israel and its lobbying influence in Washington.

In a resignation letter addressed to Donald Trump, Kent alleged that at the start of the current administration, senior Israeli officials and influential figures in U.S. media carried out a disinformation campaign that undermined the “America First” platform and fostered pro-war sentiment aimed at triggering a conflict with Iran.

Kent further stated that he could not support sending a new generation of Americans to “fight and die in a war that provides no benefit to the American people and does not justify the cost in American lives.”

Since the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran on February 28, at least 13 U.S. service members have been killed, while 10 others have been seriously wounded and around 200 have sustained minor injuries, according to a report published by The Wall Street Journal.

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International

German president warns Iran war could spread and disrupt Strait of Hormuz

The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, warned Monday that the war involving Iran could expand and further disrupt shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He urged a swift end to hostilities between Iran, United States and Israel.

Speaking in Panama City during a joint appearance with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Steinmeier said available information suggests Iran has significant capacity to disrupt maritime traffic through the key oil route.

“Iran has considerable potential to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Steinmeier said through an interpreter. “We should therefore reach an end to the hostilities as soon as possible and call on all parties involved to make that happen.”

The remarks came during Steinmeier’s visit to Panama, the first by a German president to the Central American nation.

The German leader described the possibility of the conflict spreading as “very dangerous,” saying recent developments indicate that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

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Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump urged allied nations to help ensure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran moved to block the waterway in response to U.S. strikes. However, several allies—particularly in Europe—have shown little support for the proposal.

“Some are very enthusiastic, others are not, and some are countries we have helped for many years,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We have protected them from terrible external threats, and they’re not that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm is important to me.”

Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the Strait of Hormuz falls “outside NATO’s scope” and stressed that “the war involving Iran is not Europe’s war.”