Justice Maintains Six Year Sentence for 2022 Bomb Plot in Brasília

The 3rd Criminal Chamber of the Court of Justice of the Federal District and Territories (TJDFT) has unanimously upheld the conviction of Wellington Macedo de Souza, sentencing him to six years in prison. The ruling concerns an explosive device placed on a tank truck carrying 63,000 liters of aviation kerosene near the Brasília International Airport on December 24, 2022.

The bomb did not detonate because of a failure in the assembly of the triggering mechanism; however, the court ruled that the crime was committed because the act of placing the device created risk for others. The defense argued that there was no criminal intent and that the case constituted an impossible crime since the device could not explode. Judges rejected these arguments, citing security camera footage showing the defendants scouting the location and forensic evidence confirming the device's potential to detonate.

Reports with a center lean state that the incident occurred near the date Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva assumed the presidency after defeating Jair Bolsonaro. Reports with a center-right lean include additional details, identifying Macedo de Souza as a journalist and supporter of Jair Bolsonaro who met other involved parties during protests at the Army headquarters. These reports also state that the group transported weapons and dynamite from Pará to Brasília in an attempt to impose a State of Siege, and they mention a parallel trial in the Supreme Federal Court regarding crimes against democracy.