After being targeted by Moraes, Malafaia records a video, calls the minister a 'dictator' and says he 'promotes religious persecution'

According to the pastor, the magistrate acts like "a dictator in a robe" and is "promoting religious persecution."

In the recording, just over 4 minutes long, Malafaia says that his cell phone, three notebooks "with biblical messages" and his passport were seized by order of the Supreme Federal Court (STF), as part of the investigation into attempted obstruction of justice and coercion in the process that investigates the coup plot involving allies of former president Jair Bolsonaro.

"Alexandre de Moraes, the dictator in the toga, promotes political and now religious persecution as well. I have been denouncing this dictator's crimes for the past four years," the pastor said in the video.

"I arrived from Portugal and was intercepted at the airport by the Federal Police . They took my cell phone, my Bible notebooks, and even my passport. What country is this?" he asked.

Malafaia stated that the seized notebooks contained notes from sermons and scripts for videos and demonstrations.

He also criticized the leaking of information about the investigation to the press, even before his lawyers were notified.

"If I talk about the investigation, I'll be arrested. But Alexandre Moraes' Gestapo leaks everything," he said, referring to the Nazi political police.

The pastor said he saw a “positive side” to the exposure, as, according to him, it highlighted his honesty, independence and bond with his family.

See what the messages released by the Federal Police reveal:

The pastor also directly addressed the other Supreme Court justices, such as Luís Roberto Barroso and Gilmar Mendes, asking if they were “afraid” of Moraes.

"This guy is dragging the Supreme Federal Court through the mud. Are you afraid of him?" he asked.

The Federal Police identified messages exchanged between Malafaia and Bolsonaro, in which the pastor suggested strategies to condition international sanctions on the granting of amnesty to those involved in the January 8th protests.

Malafaia, who has not been formally indicted, is prohibited from leaving the country and from maintaining contact with other suspects.

In the recording, Malafaia says he sent videos and letters to religious leaders in the United States, including President Donald Trump, denouncing what he calls “persecution.”

The Attorney General's Office (PGR) is still evaluating whether there are sufficient elements to file a complaint against the pastor.