Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who is under investigation for his role in the violent attack on the headquarters of national institutions in Brasilia on January 8, has applied for a six-month visa to stay in the States United, his lawyer said on Monday, January 30.
The former far-right president had left Brazil for Florida two days before Lula’s inauguration on January 1 and his current visa is set to expire soon, according to law firm AG Immigration.
Mr. Bolsonaro is said to have entered the United States on a visa issued to visiting leaders, which expires on Tuesday as he is no longer on official business. Asked about Bolsonaro’s visa application, the State Department replied that this type of information was confidential in the United States.
The former Brazilian president had indicated on the CNN antenna in Brazil that he intended to return at the end of January and that he was even considering bringing forward his return for health reasons. Jair Bolsonaro had been the victim of a stabbing in 2018 during an electoral trip. He has since undergone several surgeries for bowel obstruction.
Angry Democrats
On January 8, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters, unhappy with Lula da Silva’s victory over the far-right ex-president in the October 2022 presidential election, invaded and vandalized the presidential palace, the Congress and the Supreme Court in Brasília.
A few days later, elected Democrats called for Joe Biden to revoke Jair Bolsonaro’s visa, refusing that the United States serve as a refuge for the former leader. Anderson Torres, former Bolsonarist Minister of Justice, was arrested on January 14 as part of the investigation into the looting, as he was returning by plane from the United States.
► To read also: Brasilia assault: Bolsonaro under investigation, his former justice minister arrested
(with AFP)