Brazil's former spy chief who fled country arrested by ICE in U.S.

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A Brazilian legislator said connected Monday that the country's erstwhile quality bureau main Alexandre Ramagem was arrested by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and is pleading for him to get governmental asylum successful the United States.

Ramagem, besides a erstwhile lawmaker, was sentenced successful September to 16 years successful situation for his relation successful the coup effort by supporters of erstwhile Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro successful 2023. Brazil's national constabulary said helium fled the South American federation earlier helium would person started serving his sentence.

Sen. Jorge Seif said successful his societal media channels that helium had informed the U.S. embassy successful Brasilia that Ramagem should not stay successful custody for helium was being persecuted astatine home. Seif did not springiness details arsenic to wherefore the erstwhile Brazilian quality bureau main had been enactment nether custody.

On Monday, Ramagem appeared arsenic successful custody successful ICE's online detainee database, though wherever helium is being held was not specified.

"The governmental persecution against President Bolsonaro, his sons and his allies is present hitting an elected lawmaker successful overseas soil," Seif said. "In our papers (to the U.S. embassy) we showed each the reasons that warrant and support the concession of governmental asylum to Ramagem and his family."

Ramagem was stripped of his spot successful Brazil's legislature successful December arsenic a effect of his condemnation successful the coup lawsuit 1 period earlier.

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Earlier connected Monday, Brazil's national constabulary said successful a connection that ICE had detained "a fugitive from Brazilian justness pursuing his condemnation for the crimes of equipped transgression association, attempted coup d'etat, and the attempted convulsive abolition of the regularisation of law." The connection did not notation Ramagem by name.

Brazil's national constabulary besides said the unnamed fugitive was precocious sentenced by the country's apical tribunal for the aforesaid 3 counts arsenic Ramagem's conviction.

ICE and Ramagem's lawyer did not respond a petition for remark from The Associated Press.

"International constabulary cooperation"

Ramagem, 53, is simply a erstwhile constabulary serviceman who commanded Brazil's main quality agency, ABIN, nether Bolsonaro.

He was aboriginal elected a national lawmaker, but mislaid his spot aft his conviction.

Bolsonaro is serving a 27-year jailhouse word implicit the conspiracy, which prosecutors said failed lone due to the fact that of a deficiency of enactment from subject apical brass.

Local media reported that Ramagem near Brazil via the borderline with Guyana, bypassing migration controls, and entered the United States connected a diplomatic passport.

Brazil formally requested the extradition of Ramagem successful December.

The constabulary connection said the apprehension was the effect of "international constabulary practice betwixt the Federal Police and U.S. instrumentality enforcement authorities."

Bolsonaro state and influencer Paulo Renato Figueiredo, who lives successful the United States, wrote connected X that Ramagem had been detained for a "minor postulation infraction."

Figueiredo -- grandson of the past wide to preside implicit Brazil during the 1964-1985 dictatorship -- said that Ramagem's migration presumption was legal, and that helium has a pending asylum application.

"We expect him to beryllium released arsenic rapidly arsenic possible, astatine this time, we spot nary hazard of deportation."

In a abstracted case, Ramagem is nether probe for allegedly starring a transgression radical which carried retired amerciable spying connected behalf of the far-right person and his interior ellipse utilizing Israeli surveillance software.

Federal constabulary person recommended that charges beryllium brought against Ramagem and astir 30 others, including the erstwhile president's lad Carlos Bolsonaro, successful transportation with this probe.

Ex-president Bolsonaro has been serving his condemnation nether location apprehension for wellness reasons since past month, erstwhile helium was rushed from situation to infirmary with bronchopneumonia.

He has chosen his eldest son, the legislator Flavio Bolsonaro, to look disconnected against Lula successful October elections.

The latest canvass by the Datafolha Institute published Sunday showed Flavio Bolsonaro with 46 percent of elector intentions compared to 45 percent for Lula successful a imaginable runoff.

Agence France-Presse contributed to this report.

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