Former federal congressman and ex-director-general of the Agência Brasileira de Inteligência (Abin), Alexandre Ramagem, was arrested today by U.S. immigration authorities, Brazil’s Federal Police said in a statement.
The former police commissioner, who had been a fugitive from Brazilian justice, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Orlando, in an international police operation involving Brazil and the United States.
“The detainee is considered a fugitive from Brazilian justice after being convicted of armed criminal organization, coup d’état, and attempted violent abolition of the rule of law,” the Federal Police said.
Read more: Lula accuses Bolsonaro’s of wanting to sell Brazil to the US (with video)
Ramagem was sentenced to 16 years, one month, and 15 days in prison for his role in an alleged plot aimed at keeping former president Jair Bolsonaro in power.
According to Brazil’s Supremo Tribunal Federal, Ramagem used the structure of the intelligence agency to monitor political opponents and assist in attacks on the country’s electoral system.
A Federal Police investigation found that he had been on the run since September 2025, after leaving Brazil clandestinely by crossing the border into Guyana to avoid arrest, before traveling on to the United States.
