Brazil's Supreme Court to probe former President Jair Bolsonaro over riots

Former Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro. [FIle, Reuters]

Brazil's Supreme Court has agreed to investigate whether former president Jair Bolsonaro incited the far-right mob that ransacked the country's Congress, top court and presidential offices, a swift escalation in the probe that shows the ex-leader could face legal consequences for an extremist movement he helped build.

Justice Alexandre de Moraes granted a request from the prosecutor general's office to include Bolsonaro in the wider investigation, citing a video the former president posted on Facebook two days after the riot. It claimed Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wasn't voted into office, but rather was chosen by the Supreme Court and Brazil's electoral authority.