Flavio Bolsonaro Claims He Fled Brazil Due to Persecution

Flavio Bolsonaro, a former conservative presidential candidate, stated on Oct 30 that he left Brazil due to 'persecution' by authorities in his country.

The senator, who lost the Oct 25 election runoff to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, secretly departed Brazil on Oct 27 and arrived in Florida on Oct 28 after traveling through Argentina and Ecuador.

Bolsonaro claimed his passports were revoked as part of a money laundering investigation, and he described the situation as a form of persecution that began earlier than he anticipated.

During an Instagram livestream, he recounted how police informed him on Oct 26 that his passports were being canceled as he left a visit to his father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is under house arrest.

He said his father warned him about the implications of the passport revocation, prompting him to take action to leave the country.

Bolsonaro did not provide details on how he left Brazil but emphasized that he and his wife made the decision 'without anyone knowing' and urged people not to 'point the finger at anyone.'