Brazil's Right-Wing Presidential Candidate Stabbed in the Stomach During Rally

Presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro is taken on the shoulders of a supporter moments before being stabbed during a campaign rally in Juiz de Fora, Brazil, Thursday, Sept. 6, 2018. (Antonio Scorza/Agencia O Globo via AP)

The front-runner in Brazil’s presidential race was stabbed in the stomach by a left-wing activist Thursday afternoon and has undergone surgery at a local hospital. Right-wing presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro, who leads opinion polls ahead of the October vote against several left-wing candidates, was seriously injured in the attack. Bolsonaro, who is known as Brazil’s Donald Trump, is in stable condition, according to his son, Flavio Bolsonaro.

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Flavio initially posted on Twitter that the injury was minor, but later updated with another tweet saying the injury was “worse than we thought.”

Flavio said the puncture had hit parts of his father’s liver, lung and intestines and he lost a lot of blood.

He arrived at the hospital “almost dead,” Flavio wrote. “His condition now seems stabilized. Please pray.”

The incident happened during a rally in the city of Juiz de Fora, in the state of Minas Gerais.

The shocking attack was caught on video:

During an event later in the nation’s capital, Brazil’s President Michel Temer said that “the intolerance that there’s been in Brazilian society is unacceptable.”

The other presidential candidates were also reportedly quick to denounce the attack.

The suspect, 40-year-old Adelio Bispo de Oliveira, is already in custody, according to the local military police.

According to diario26.com, Oliveira is an “activist” who was affiliated with the Socialism and Freedom Party (PSOL) in Minas Gerais between 2007 and 2014. On Facebook, Oliveira has “liked” a slew of far-left pages and reportedly posts anti-Bolsonaro material.

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On other social media, according to Diario, he has also called for the release of former left-wing president Inacio Lula Da Silva from prison. “Lula,” who was much admired by former president Barack Obama, is currently serving a 12-year sentence for corruption and money-laundering.

According to Bloomberg, “Brazil’s stocks and the currency rose as investors saw potential sympathy votes for Bolsonaro as he recovers and some damage to his left-wing contenders.”

 

 

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