The Supreme Court in Brazil began questioning a group of eight suspects close to former President Jair Bolsonaro on Monday, as part of trials related to an alleged coup attempt that took place in 2023.

Prosecutors accuse the group of planning a coup against Bolsonaro’s successor, current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, shortly after he took office.

Bolsonaro’s supporters had stormed the Congress building, the Supreme Court, and the presidential palace in the capital, Brasília, on January 8, 2023.

It took several hours for security forces to regain control of the government district.

According to prosecutors, the suspects played a central role in the attempt to overthrow the country’s democratic system.