Brazil's former president, Lula, dismisses deputy intelligence chief amidst investigation into spying allegations

Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva has fired the deputy director of the national intelligence agency and four department heads following ongoing investigations into allegations that the agency engaged in illegal surveillance of former President Jair Bolsonaro's adversaries. The deputy, Alessandro Moretti, is accused of sharing information with former Abin boss Alexandre Ramagem, a member of Bolsonaro's party. Bolsonaro claims that he and his family are being targeted, but Lula has denied these allegations, stating that his government does not give directives to the federal police. The scandal emerged when Brazil's Supreme Court unsealed documents accusing Abin of conducting surveillance on key political and judicial figures critical of the previous president. Among the alleged targets were three Supreme Court justices and a speaker of Brazil's lower house of Congress. Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes disclosed that the police had identified Bolsonaro's son Carlos as part of the "political nucleus" suspected of ordering the illegal spying. As a result, raids were authorized on Carlos' home and offices, who is also a Rio de Janeiro city councilor. Carlos Bolsonaro's lawyer declined to comment on the situation. Previously, police had searched the office and home of Ramagem, who denies any involvement in illegal activities. Authorities suspect Abin utilized Israeli software called FirstMile for unauthorized monitoring of mobile phones. This development compounds the legal troubles for Bolsonaro, who has been prohibited from running for office for eight years due to his baseless claims regarding Brazil's electronic voting system.