Sawt Falasteen - Brazil's fugitive ex-spy chief detained by US immigration

The fugitive Alexandre Ramagem was sentenced in September to 16 years in prison over the failed scheme to prevent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office after winning the 2022 election over far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro. Ramagem sneaked out of the country before he could be arrested.

Brazilian police said in a statement that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement had detained "a fugitive from Brazilian justice following his conviction for the crimes of armed criminal association, attempted coup d'etat, and the attempted violent abolition of the rule of law."

A police source, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to AFP that the detainee was Ramagem -- who is listed as being in ICE custody on the website of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Ramagem, 53, is a former police officer who commanded Brazil's main intelligence agency, ABIN, under Bolsonaro.

He was later elected a federal lawmaker, but lost his seat after his conviction.

Bolsonaro is serving a 27-year jail term over the conspiracy, which prosecutors said failed only because of a lack of support from military top brass.

Local media reported that Ramagem left Brazil via the border with Guyana, bypassing immigration controls, and entered the United States on a diplomatic passport.

Brazil formally requested the extradition of Ramagem in December.

The police statement said the arrest was the result of "international police cooperation between the Federal Police and US law enforcement authorities."

Bolsonaro ally and influencer Paulo Renato Figueiredo, who lives in the United States, wrote on X that Ramagem had been detained for a "minor traffic infraction."

Figueiredo -- grandson of the last general to preside over Brazil during the 1964-1985 dictatorship -- said that Ramagem's immigration status was legal, and that he has a pending asylum application.

"We expect him to be released as quickly as possible, at this time, we see no risk of deportation."

In a separate case, Ramagem is under investigation for allegedly leading a criminal group which carried out illegal spying on behalf of the far-right leader and his inner circle using Israeli surveillance software.

Federal police have recommended that charges be brought against Ramagem and around 30 others, including the former president's son Carlos Bolsonaro, in connection with this probe.

Ex-president Bolsonaro has been serving his sentence under house arrest for health reasons since last month, when he was rushed from prison to hospital with bronchopneumonia.

He has chosen his eldest son, the senator Flavio Bolsonaro, to face off against Lula in October elections.

The latest poll by the Datafolha Institute published Sunday showed Flavio Bolsonaro with 46 percent of voter intentions compared to 45 percent for Lula in a potential runoff.

H.Nasr--SF-PST