Brazil prosecutor charges Bolsonaro with alleged coup plot

Brazil's prosecutor-general has filed charges against former president Jair Bolsonaro for attempting a coup to stay in office after his 2022 election defeat.

Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet alleges on Tuesday that Bolsonaro and 33 others participated in a plan to remain in power despite losing to current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

"The indictments ... describe, in detail, the conspiratorial plot set up and executed against democratic institutions," that was masterminded by Bolsonaro, read a statement from the attorney general's office.

Last November, Federal Police filed an 884-page report with Gonet detailing the scheme.

They allege it involved systematically sowing distrust of the electoral system among the populace, drafting a decree to give the plot a veneer of legality, pressuring top military brass to go along with the plan, and inciting a riot in the capital.

The Supreme Court will analyse the charges, and if accepted, Bolsonaro will stand trial.

Bolsonaro denies wrongdoing

The charges represent a fresh blow for Bolsonaro that further complicates his already narrow hopes of a political comeback.

Bolsonaro, a former army captain, has repeatedly denied breaking any laws and calls allegations against him a witch hunt by his political opponents.

"I have no concerns about the accusations, zero," Bolsonaro told journalists earlier on Tuesday during a visit to the Senate in Brasilia.

"Have you seen the coup decree, by any chance? You haven't. Neither have I," he added.