Former Mossad officer helped Flávio Bolsonaro flee Brazil: Report

A former agent of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency reportedly accompanied Brazilian senator and defeated presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro as he crossed into Argentina before flying to the United States, according to an investigation by CNN Brasil.Bolsonaro, his wife Fernanda and their two daughters crossed from Brazil into Argentina on Tuesday, October 27, through the Tancredo Neves International Bridge, which connects Foz do Iguaçu with Puerto Iguazú. According to CNN Brasil, the family travelled in two vans, with Bolsonaro accompanied by the former Mossad officer in one vehicle and his family in the other.The former Israeli intelligence officer reportedly arrived in Brazil on October 19, six days before the presidential runoff. He is said to have travelled with Bolsonaro from Brasília to the Argentine border and remained in the same van during the crossing. His identity has not been disclosed. The investigation has not established what role, if any, he played in planning or organising the departure.Security camera footage helped Brazilian investigators identify the two vans and their drivers. One was a former municipal council member from Foz do Iguaçu, while the other was his son.After crossing into Argentina, the family boarded a Gulfstream G400 private jet operated by Argentine charter company Baires Fly. The aircraft stopped in Guayaquil, Ecuador, to refuel before continuing to Opa-locka Executive Airport near Miami, where it landed early on Wednesday, October 28.The operation was reportedly referred to internally as “Operation Alba” and had been planned before the election campaign ended. Brazilian investigators are examining possible logistical support from contacts linked to the governments of Argentine president Javier Milei and US president Donald Trump. However, direct involvement by either government in arranging the departure has not been established.A report by The New York Times said Trump adviser Jason Miller helped arrange the private jet. Argentine newspaper Clarín separately reported that Milei’s adviser Santiago Caputo travelled to the border region to oversee the operation. These accounts have added to questions over the extent of assistance Bolsonaro received from political allies abroad.Bolsonaro lost the October 25 presidential runoff to incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and had been ordered by the Brazilian Supreme Federal to surrender his personal and diplomatic passports and barred him from leaving Brazil. The order was issued amid investigations into suspected money laundering, including cases linked to gambling platforms and the funding of a film about his father, former president Jair Bolsonaro. Flávio Bolsonaro has denied wrongdoing.Brazil’s federal police said it found no record of the senator leaving through official immigration checkpoints and is investigating how he crossed the border. Authorities are considering asking the Supreme Court to freeze his assets, including bank accounts. The allegations against him remain under investigation and have not been proven in court.The episode has also triggered diplomatic questions. Brazil’s foreign ministry summoned Argentina’s representative to seek clarification over the senator’s passage through the country. In the United States, 25 Democratic lawmakers reportedly asked the Trump administration whether diplomatic resources had been used to assist his departure.US secretary of state Marco Rubio has said the administration was not directly involved in the arrangements that took Bolsonaro to the United States. Trump, however, approved the family’s entry after they reached the country. Bolsonaro entered under humanitarian parole, which is generally granted for a limited period.Trump later said Bolsonaro could remain in the United States for as long as he wished, while questioning the outcome of Brazil’s election. The US president also said he had no plans to meet the senator. Bolsonaro has meanwhile described himself as Brazil’s “leader” and thanked Trump and Milei for their support.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.