Flávio Bolsonaro lands in Miami – how the loser of Brazilian justice managed to escape

Flávio Bolsonaro lands in Miami – how the loser of Brazilian justice escaped After his electoral defeat against Brazilian Presidents Lula da Silva, Bolsonaro flees towards the USA via Argentina. False trails conceal his escape. US President Trump wants to take him in. Since Monday just before midnight, a private jet is at the airport in Puerto Iguazú in the far northeast of Argentina. The Gulfstream G400 with license plate LV-JQW arrived from the Argentine capital Buenos Aires. Now the jet is about twenty kilometers away from the border with Brazil. Actually, the plane is supposed to start soon. But nothing happens. The jet remains on the airfield, the three crew members wait in a hotel. As later revealed, the most important passenger is missing: Flávio Bolsonaro, who has just lost the presidency election in Brazil. His opponent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won around four million more votes. Few expected this. Initially, Bolsonaro did not want to acknowledge the election result. But there is no talk of it now. He now has other worries: He fears being imprisoned. Investigations are underway against him for possible money laundering in online betting and for dubious payments from scandal banker Daniel Vorcaro. On election night itself, Brazil's Supreme Federal Court (STF) prohibited his departure and ordered that he surrender his passports. Bolsonaro says goodbye to his father They are delivered to him on Monday morning – right in the street. Flávio has just visited his father Jair, who is under house arrest in Brasilia. As he leaves the house, police officers are already waiting for him. They hand him the order of Judge Alexandre de Moraes: He must surrender his passports within 24 hours and may not leave Brazil. Shortly after, Bolsonaro disappeared. First signs of an escape emerge. On the night of Tuesday, the Argentine news portal "Infobae" reports that the Senator wants to travel from Argentina to the USA via Argentina. This news puts Brazil's authorities on high alert. The Argentine government denies it: there has been no registered border crossing. Bolsonaro himself tries to dispel the rumors. In a video on Instagram, he explains on Monday afternoon, the day after the lost election: "I never thought about leaving the country. I will surrender my passports and defend myself against this inhumanity." He wants to stay in Brazil and lead the opposition against Lula. Then the reports multiply His brother Eduardo said a few days earlier in the American podcast "Louder with Crowder": "If my brother doesn't win, I definitely support him leaving the country." The Federal Police sees this as a sign of flight risk. On Tuesday afternoon, the clues become more concrete: Bolsonaro is on his way to Florida, according to Brazilian and American media, citing their sources and US government officials. Shortly after, it is reported that he is already there and has met his brother Eduardo, who has lived in Texas for some time. But while the world speculates about Bolsonaro's supposed arrival in America, the private jet still waits in Puerto Iguazú. Was this a diversion tactic? Should the authorities believe that Bolsonaro has long left the country, while his escape was just being prepared? There is no proof of this so far. But the contradictory reports prove to be remarkably useful for the fugitive in hindsight. Movement occurs on Tuesday night. Around 11 p.m., two small buses cross the international Tancredo-Neves Bridge, which connects Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil, with Argentina. One of the vehicles has darkened windows and bears the inscription of a Brazilian travel company. According to investigations by the Argentine newspaper "Clarín", the vehicles are escorted by a police car on the Argentine side. They drive directly to the airport grounds. Is Bolsonaro traveling with his Italian passport? On Wednesday morning, the Argentine migration authority confirms the crucial details. At 10:50 p.m. on Tuesday, Bolsonaro, his wife Fernanda, and their two daughters Carolina and Luiza had officially crossed the border. The family presented valid travel documents. The authority explained that there were "no legal obstacles" to the entry. At 11:30 p.m., the family boards the waiting private jet. Shortly after midnight, the plane finally takes off. However, not to Miami, but to Guayaquil in Ecuador. It lands there early Wednesday morning for refueling. Then it is supposed to go to the USA. The stop is necessary because the route has been extended. Apparently, the direct route through Brazilian airspace is to be avoided. This makes it clear: Since Bolsonaro was suspected of being in Florida on Tuesday, he was still in Brazil. It remains unclear how Bolsonaro managed to cross the Brazilian border despite the judge's order to leave, even though his passport had been invalidated. But the Bolsonaros also possess Italian citizenship. Whether the family used Italian passports during the exit is unclear. Trump wants to approve a visa for Bolsonaro In the USA, Bolsonaro seems to be welcome after all. According to reports from American media, the government had already been aware of the impending seizure of passports on Monday. Two government officials confirmed to CNN that the USA would issue visas for Bolsonaro, his wife, and the two daughters. A government official said the President had approved their entry. Will he take Flávio Bolsonaro in the USA? "I would approve that. I think they are good people," said American President Donald Trump to journalists on the night of Wednesday in Washington. Then he added: "The election was very strange, I found it terrible." There, Trump stands behind the Bolsonaro family again. Even Jair Bolsonaro, the father of the fugitive politician, always saw Trump as his great political role model. His third son Eduardo has lived in the USA for a year and has also received a residence permit from Trump. The former President Jair Bolsonaro withdrew to the USA for 45 days after his lost election in 2022. Now his eldest son is also seeking refuge there. In fact, the Senator is under considerable legal pressure. The Federal Police is investigating whether he is involved in the suspected money laundering activities of his friend's lawyer Willer Tomaz. The focus is on dealings with online betting platforms and possible covert financial transactions. Apparently, this involves billions of dollars. In a second proceeding, it is examined what role Bolsonaro played in financing a film about his father played by the now-arrested banker Daniel Vorcaro. Flávio Bolsonaro denies the accusations. As a Senator, he still enjoys parliamentary protection. But his term ends on January 31, 2027. Flávio Bolsonaro will soon lose his immunity as a Senator For Lula da Silva, the flight of his political opponent is an unexpected challenge. It could weigh heavily on his relationship with Trump, especially since Bolsonaro is now likely to present himself in the USA as a political fugitive. On his 81st birthday on Tuesday, the re-elected President described Bolsonaro's behavior as "shameful." Lula said that the innocent can face the investigations. The flight also creates new circumstances for the Brazilian right. The Liberal Party (PL) had already recognized Lula's electoral victory. They wanted to make life difficult for the left-wing President Lula in his fourth term by using Flávio Bolsonaro as the leader of the right-wing opposition majority in Congress. But from Florida, Bolsonaro will hardly be able to keep the Brazilian opposition together. Within the conservative camp, there is already a willingness to question the political leadership claim of the Bolsonaro family. On Wednesday morning, local news reports that Bolsonaro has landed in Miami in the state of Florida.