Arrest of Four “Vaza Jato” Hacker Suspects by Federal Police Raises New Questions

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A new round has begun in the exchange of blows between The Intercept and its media allies and the Brazilian judicial and police system.

The arrest this Tuesday, July 23rd, of four alleged perpetrators of hacking into Minister Sérgio Moro’s cell phone, predicted by Glenn Greenwald already last week as a false flag operation, raised suspicions that the Federal Police operation could be an attempt to stifle the publication of messages by The Intercept Brasil, which have cast doubt on the impartiality of Lava Jato.

In his Twitter account, Intercept editor Leandro Demori said on July 15th that “a ruthless and unscrupulous portion of law enforcement is plotting a farce and an attack on the freedom of the press in Brazil.” After the warrant for the arrest of the suspects, Demori wrote: “It was late, and it’s here today, apparently. We’re watching.”

Rafael Moro Martins, another editor of the Intercept website, posted on his social media network that he had information that the Federal Police was planning an attempt to discredit the authenticity of the material a few days ago.

“The purpose is so obvious that it names the operation,” says Martins, in reference to the term “Spoofing.” According to the police, “spoofing” is a kind of tech falsification seeking to trick a network or a person into believing that an information source is reliable when it is not.

Journalist Glenn Greenwald also went online to reinforce the authenticity of the messages disclosed by the Intercept: “And who are the prosecutors of the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office who confirmed to [newspapers] Correio Braziliense and El País that the conversations are authentic? Also, how did [newspaper] Folha de S.Paulo and [the magazine] Veja confirm their authenticity? Moreover, [website] BuzzFeed Brazil? And Barroso today. There is a mountain of evidence to prove that they are real,” Greenwald posted.

The media outlets quoted by the journalist also reported the leaks in partnership with The Intercept and declared that, by their own means, they had confirmed their authenticity.

During hearings in the Chamber and Senate in June, minister Sérgio Moro said he did not acknowledge the authenticity of the disclosed messages.

In addition, he classified the Intercept reports as “sensationalist” and attributed the leaks to the actions of hackers interested in reversing Lava Jato’s convictions and delaying ongoing proceedings.

The judge who issued the arrest warrants for the alleged hackers is Vallisney de Souza Oliveira, of the 10th Federal Court of the Federal District, who has been in the spotlight on past occasions.

Termed “juizeco” (little judge) in 2016 by then-Senate President Renan Calheiros (MDB-AL), the magistrate gained notoriety in cases related to Lava Jato and Zelotes operations and is in charge of lawsuits against former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.