South Americaupdated 45m ago3 min read
Archive photo · 14 November 2014Former Mossad Agent Helped Flavio Bolsonaro Leave Brazil Via Argentina, Brazilian Media Says
3 Israeli3 Other3 West Asian2 Other source typesPhoto: Horacio Cambeiro ( Regions ), CC BY 3.0 · Cropped for layout
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Flavio Bolsonaro left Brazil via Argentina after losing election, accompanied by former Mossad agent. Crossed into Argentina via Tancredo Neves Bridge before private jet to Miami.
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Escape via Argentina, then US
Brazilian media reported that Senator Flavio Bolsonaro quietly left Brazil for the United States via Argentina after losing the presidential election, accompanied by a former Mossad intelligence agent. Brazilian reporting said Bolsonaro crossed the border with his wife and daughters via the international Tancredo Neves Bridge in southern Brazil, then boarded a private Gulfstream G400 operated by Argentina's Byers Fly that departed from Puerto Iguazu. Brazilian media said the former intelligence operative arrived in Brazil on October 19 and accompanied Bolsonaro to Argentina, while Brazilian authorities described the departure as a planned international operation internally referred to as "Operation Alba".
The reports said Bolsonaro’s family traveled in two minivans across the border, and the investigation described security camera recordings capturing the vehicles crossing the Tancredo Neves Bridge. The reports also said the Supreme Federal Court in Brazil was conducting an investigation into Bolsonaro over allegations of illegally financing a film titled "The Dark Horse" and that he was serving a 27-year prison sentence under house arrest.
Court order, denials, and probes
Brazilian authorities said Bolsonaro’s departure came despite a Brazilian court order to confiscate his passport and a ruling prohibiting him from traveling abroad while he undergoes investigations into corruption and money laundering. Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the confiscation of Bolsonaro's passports and prohibited him from leaving Brazil, and Brazilian Federal Police said they found no records of Bolsonaro passing through Brazilian immigration checkpoints when leaving the country. Marco Rubio denied that Washington had directly participated in arrangements that enabled the Brazilian senator to depart the country, saying, "We have not been involved in the moves for Flávio Bolsonaro to leave Brazil."
Brazilian government representatives described the affair as a coordinated international "rescue operation" and said support constituted “assistance from the governments of Argentina and the US.” The investigation accounts also tied the operation to possible logistical support from contacts linked to the governments of Argentine President Javier Milei and US President Donald Trump, while noting that direct involvement by either government had not been confirmed.
Stakes across elections and investigations
The reports said Bolsonaro lost the runoff of the presidential election last Sunday, obtaining 48.22% of the votes against 51.78% for Lula da Silva, according to data from the Supreme Electoral Court.
Brazilian reporting said the Supreme Federal Court was investigating Bolsonaro regarding allegations of illegally financing a film titled "The Dark Horse" about the life of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year prison sentence under house arrest.
The accounts said Brazilian investigators were examining possible logistical support from contacts linked to the governments of Argentine President Javier Milei and US President Donald Trump, and they described the operation as involving assistance from individuals in Argentina and the United States.
The reports said U.S. President Donald Trump questioned the results of the Brazilian presidential election and claimed to allow Bolsonaro and his family to enter the United States and stay there "for as long as they want."
Brazilian Federal Police were considering asking the Supreme Court to block Bolsonaro’s assets, including bank accounts, as the episode triggered diplomatic questions after Brazil’s foreign ministry summoned Argentina’s representative to seek an explanation.