Former Brazilian intelligence chief Alexandre Ramagem was detained by ICE agents in the US after he fled the South American country following a conviction for plotting a coup with ex-President Jair Bolsonaro, according to authorities and reports.
Ramagen was sentenced to 16 years behind bars in September for his role in plotting to overturn leftist leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s 2022 election victory. But he fled the country before his sentence began, Brazil’s federal police said.
The foreign fugitive appeared on a list of those in custody on ICE’s online detainee database on Monday, though it did not note where he was being detained or where he had been caught.
Brazil’s federal police also announced in a statement early on Monday that a “fugitive of the country’s justice” who was recently sentenced by the country’s top court had been nabbed in Orlando, without naming Ramagen.
The arrest of the unidentified individual was the result of cooperation between the law enforcement in both countries, police officials said.
Paulo Figueiredo, a Bolsonaro ally living in the US, wrote on X that Remagen was detained following a “minor traffic infraction,” and subsequently referred to ICE officials, though his account has not been confirmed.
Investigators learned that Ramagen, 53, used spy software to track the locations of Supreme Court justices, lawmakers, journalists, and public officials, and monitored investigations involving Bolsonaro’s sons to keep an eye on the former president’s opponents, the Guardian reported.
He lost his federal police position and was stripped of his mandate as a congressman in Brazil’s lower house after his conviction, the outlet reported.
Brazilian Sen. Jorge Seif wrote on social media that he’s informed the US embassy in Brazil that the former Federal Police inspector should not stay in custody since he was being persecuted in his native country.
“The political persecution against President Bolsonaro, his sons, and his allies is now hitting an elected lawmaker in foreign soil,” Seif said.
“In our document (to the U.S. embassy), we showed all the reasons that justify and defend the concession of political asylum to Ramagem and his family.”
ICE did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment or details on his arrest.
With Post wires
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