Lt Brig Carlos de Almeida Baptista Júnior, the former head of Brazil’s air force, has written a book detailing his role in blocking an attempted coup by then-President Jair Bolsonaro following the 2022 election. According to Baptista Júnior’s account, the defence minister presented a draft decree at a meeting with armed forces commanders proposing to invalidate Lula’s election victory and keep Bolsonaro in power. Baptista Júnior refused to accept the document and left the meeting, stating that the air force would not participate in the plot.
A subsequent investigation and trial determined that Bolsonaro’s coup attempt failed primarily because two of the three armed forces commanders—Baptista Júnior and army commander Gen Marco Antônio Freire Gomes—refused to participate. The navy commander and defence minister were convicted and are serving sentences at military facilities, while Bolsonaro is under house arrest. The book, scheduled for publication on 15 September, provides a detailed first-hand account of Bolsonaro’s various attempts to retain power after losing the election.
Baptista Júnior, a 65-year-old retired fighter pilot, stated his motivation for writing the book was concern that public opinion polls continued to show approximately one-third of the population did not believe an attempted coup had occurred. He emphasizes that keeping someone in power after losing an election constitutes a coup d’état. Despite having voted for Bolsonaro in both 2018 and 2022, Baptista Júnior is critical of the former president, describing him as having limited political experience and an inability to accept information contradicting his established beliefs.
The book recounts over a dozen meetings where Bolsonaro summoned armed forces leaders to discuss ways to remain in office. Baptista Júnior witnessed one exchange where the army chief told the president that refusing to accept the election would result in his arrest. The investigation also revealed a separate military plot to kidnap or assassinate Lula and other officials, though Baptista Júnior states he was not involved in those meetings. Refusing to join the coup attempt cost Baptista Júnior relationships, with some military personnel attacking him and his family on social media following his refusal.
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