A far-right candidate who is leading the polls in the race for the Brazilian presidency has been stabbed at a campaign rally, just a month before the election.
The 63-year-old was rushed to the Santa Casa de Misericórdia hospital in the town of Juiz de Fora, 120 miles north of Rio de Janeiro, where he underwent emergency surgery.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“The trajectory of the wound provoked various injuries. Mr Jair Bolsonaro arrived in a very serious condition at hospital with low pressure due to blood loss,” surgeon Glaucio Souza said.
Following the attack, Bolsonaro’s son Flavio initially tweeted that the wound was “only superficial”, but later suggested that his father had sustained a serious injury.
“Unfortunately it was more serious than we had expected. He lost a lot of blood, arrived at the hospital with a [blood] pressure of 10/3, almost dead. His condition now seems stabilised. Pray, please!”, he wrote on Twitter.
The alleged attacker, named as Adélio Bispo de Oliveira, has been arrested, and local media reports that he had been beaten by Bolsonaro supporters before police could get to him.
The BBC describes Bolsonaro as a “controversial politician, who has outraged many in Brazil with racist and homophobic comments”, but who has nonetheless “performed strongly in recent polls”.
-
Taking aim at Venezuela’s autocratFeature The Trump administration is ramping up military pressure on Nicolás Maduro. Is he a threat to the U.S.?
-
Comey indictment: Is the justice system broken?Feature U.S. attorney Lindsey Halligan has indicted former FBI Director James Comey on charges of lying and obstructing Congress
-
Government shuts down amid partisan deadlockFeature As Democrats and Republicans clash over health care and spending, the shutdown leaves 750,000 federal workers in limbo
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
Brazilian ‘bandit bill’ prompts mass protests over potential Bolsonaro pardonIN THE SPOTLIGHT Efforts to evade consequences for an attempted coup and civic unrest have pushed thousands into the streets
-
Passing sentence in Brazil: the jailing of Jair BolsonaroIn the Spotlight In convicting Brazil’s former president, its Supreme Court has sent a powerful message about democratic accountability – but the victory may be only temporary
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
