​​​​​​​BOGOTA, Colombia 

Brazilian Supreme Federal Court (STF) Justice Alexandre de Moraes said Tuesday that an attempted coup that sought to keep former President Jair Bolsonaro in power has been proven at trial.

Moraes said Bolsonaro led a “criminal organization” through at least 13 actions aimed at "restricting and eliminating" the judiciary and establishing a dictatorship. The objective, he said, was to prevent the inauguration of a new, democratically elected government.

"That, indeed, was a coup d'état," said Moraes.

He said Bolsonaro initiated the scheme through a series of public events in 2021, including a ministerial meeting, internet livestreams, an interview and a speech on Brazil's Independence Day. Bolsonaro told thousands, in the speech, that he would only leave power "dead or arrested," and that he would never be arrested.

Moraes noted that they were not casual threats but part of a calculated plan to prevent a democratic defeat.

"This is not a bar talk,” said Moraes, “This is the President of the Republic ... inciting thousands of people against the STF, against the Judiciary and against a judicial authority," he said.

The charges are tied to Bolsonaro’s alleged incitement of riots in January 2023, when thousands of his supporters stormed and ransacked Congress, the presidential palace and the Supreme Court in Brasília.

Moraes said Bolsonaro endorsed a plan by members of the special forces to assassinate elected President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the elected, and the vice president.

Bolsonaro's trial for orchestrating the coup attempt is expected to render a verdict within days. His lawyers have maintained his innocence on all counts.

Moraes' role in the case has drawn criticism from US President Donald Trump, who has branded the trial a "witch hunt" against Bolsonaro. The Trump administration imposed sanctions on Moraes and enacted a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports.