Sao Paulo's Police opened an investigation into the disclosure of a video in which a man threatens to kill former President Lula da Silva, a leftist politician who recently regained his right to run in the 2022 presidential elections.
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In the video, a man with a Brazilian flag tied around his waist and a gun in his hand fires a few shots in the air, insults Lula, and threatens him.
"Don't try to turn my country into a Venezuela. I am going to spill my blood but I am going to fight for my country. I am going to do my part. I will not admit that you transform my country into a Venezuela. You are going to have problems," says Jose Sabatini, a businessman from Artur Nogueira city.
His video circulated a few days after Supreme Court Judge Luiz Fachin annulled the prison sentences against Lula da Silva for alleged acts of corruption.
In his first press conference after the judge's decision, the Workers' Party (PT) leader made harsh criticisms of President Jair Bolsonaro for his erratic handling of the pandemic and his eagerness to promote the use of weapons.
Sao Paulo Governor Joao Doria, who could be another possible presidential candidate in 2022, condemned the threats against Lula da Silva and initiated the opening of a judicial investigation.
"It will not be based on threats, aggressions, or shootings that Brazil will find the path of peace, balance, and respect for democracy", stresed Doria, a social democrat politician who was formerly an ally of Bolsonaro but is now part of the opposition against the Brazilian far-right.
Doria also denounced that he has received threats from Bolsonaro's supporters after his state adopted rigid distancing measures to contain the pandemic.