Brazilian presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro stabbed while campaigning

Jair Bolsonaro.
(Image credit: Nelson Almeida/AFP/Getty Images)

On Thursday, Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right Brazilian presidential candidate, was stabbed in Minas Gerais while campaigning, his son tweeted.

Flavio Bolsonaro said his father sustained damage to his liver, lung, and intestine. "He lost a lot of blood," he said, and was "almost dead" when he arrived at a local hospital. Bolsonaro's running mate, Gen. Antonio Hamilton Mourao, told Reuters he is now in serious but stable condition. "He underwent surgery, which was successful and he is doing okay," Mourao said. "But his state remains delicate."

Video recorded during Bolsonaro's campaign stop shows him being carried on a person's shoulders, surrounded by supporters. A knife is then seen being raised in the air, then plunging into Bolsonaro's abdomen, Reuters reports. Brazil's Federal Police released a statement saying officers were accompanying Bolsonaro when the attack took place, and the "aggressor" was caught and detained. The incident is now under investigation.

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Catherine Garcia

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.