After losing the Brazil presidential elections, right-wing senator Flávio Bolsonaro fled to the United States. However, according to reports, a statement from the Argentine government has revealed an elaborate escape path.
Bolsonaro was defeated in Sunday's run-off vote by incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, despite being projected to win in the first round.
The 45-year-old has refused to concede after being defeated by Lula, similar to his father Jair Bolsonaro in 2022.
Deep Dive
What route did Flávio Bolsonaro reportedly take from Brazil to the United States?
Why did Flávio Bolsonaro leave Brazil after losing the election?
Did Flávio Bolsonaro arrive in the United States, and was he granted entry?
Following his defeat and a crackdown from the Brazilian Supreme Court, the candidate appears to have hatched an elaborate plan to evade the money laundering and criminal investigations against him.
Also Read | Brazil probes foreign funding, JD Vance link in Flávio Bolsonaro's presidential campaign as he flees to US
Brazil to Argentina and then Ecuador
Bolsonaro, his wife and two daughters crossed over into Argentina at 10:50pm local time on Tuesday, October 27. This move from the senator comes after he was barred from leaving Brazil by order of Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.
{{/usCountry}}Bolsonaro, his wife and two daughters crossed over into Argentina at 10:50pm local time on Tuesday, October 27. This move from the senator comes after he was barred from leaving Brazil by order of Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.
{{/usCountry}}Bolsonaro was also asked to surrender both his ordinary and diplomatic passports to the Federal Police on Tuesday morning, but he failed to hand over the documents to authorities after initially saying he would comply with the order.
According to a statement released by Argentina's migration department, Bolsonaro and family "entered through the Tancredo Neves International Bridge border crossing in the province of Misiones," adding that they had valid travel documents to cross the border.
After entering Argentina, the family was escorted to a private jet dispatched by Baires Fly S.A to Ecuador.
Ecuador to Florida?
From Ecuador, the right-wing senator is believed to have fled to the United States, where the State Department has said it will grant Bolsonaro and his family entry visas.
"The State Department will issue visas to Flavio Bolsonaro and his family and allow them entry into the United States," a senior State Department official was quoted as saying by Reuters.
A statement from the Ecuadorian government is awaited regarding Bolsonaro's entry into the country.
While his location has not been confirmed, citing people close to the matter, CNN and the Washington Post reported earlier in the day that Flavio Bolsonaro had arrived in the United States.
However, according to the Brazilian newspaper O Globo, Bolsonaro arrived in Miami, Florida, on Tuesday and was greeted by his brother Eduardo.
Eduardo has lived in the US since last year after moving there to lobby President Donald Trump to help their father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, who was convicted of plotting a coup, the newspaper reported.
Bolsonaro's campaign manager, Rogerio Marinho, told reporters that he is not sure of the politician's whereabouts, adding the pair had not spoken since Tuesday morning.
"We had no news from Flavio or his lawyers about what happened. I received a text message from him. He said he wanted to take a break, and then he would talk to us. That's the only message I had from him," Marinho said.
The US remains a "safe" choice for the politician due to the Trump administration's support for his father, who is currently under house arrest. Furthermore, Trump told reporters that he believes the election in Brazil had been rigged to favour Lula, adding that he will “not be taking sides.”