Flavio Bolsonaro Defies Court Order, Arrives in Florida

Flavio Bolsonaro, the 45-year-old defeated right-wing presidential candidate in Brazil, arrived in Florida by private plane on Wednesday after defying a court order that prohibited him from leaving the country. He was seen disembarking at Opa-Locka Executive Airport after flying from Argentina and Ecuador.

Bolsonaro lost a runoff election to incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who won with 51.8 percent of the vote. Following his electoral defeat, Bolsonaro is under investigation for alleged corruption and money laundering, and he is set to lose parliamentary immunity.

His Brazilian and diplomatic passports were cancelled, but he holds Italian nationality since 2023. Washington has indicated it would grant him a US visa.

Bolsonaro claimed in a video that he never intended to leave Brazil and described the travel ban as a scare tactic. Lula criticized his departure as a "shameful" act, suggesting it indicated that Bolsonaro had something to hide.

Bolsonaro plans to seek to annul the election results.