US EditionBrazil's Ex-Spy Chief Detained by ICE in Florida
Brazilian authorities say the detention followed international cooperation as Ramagem faces a 16-year sentence for his role in the coup plot.
- On Monday, former Brazilian intelligence chief Alexandre Ramagem was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Orlando, Florida, following a police approach for a minor traffic infraction.
- Ramagem fled Brazil last September after receiving a 16-year prison sentence for his role in a plot to overturn President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's 2022 election victory over President Jair Bolsonaro.
- Brazilian officials filed an extradition request with the U.S. Department of State on December 30, 2025, though Paulo Figueiredo claimed the current detention is unrelated to that legal action.
- Figueiredo stated Ramagem has a pending asylum application and is "optimistic that he will be released" rather than deported, as the former official has consistently maintained his innocence.
- Bolsonaro is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence following his own conviction in the same investigation, a case that previously prompted President Donald Trump to impose and later relax tariffs on Brazil.
93 Articles
93 Articles
Former Brazil intelligence chief arrested in US
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained Brazil’s former intelligence chief Alexandre Ramagem on Monday, according to a Brazilian senator, after he fled Brazil to avoid a 16-year prison sentence for his role in an alleged coup attempt. ICE confirmed Ramagem’s detention through its online detainee database but offered no extra details. Brazilian authorities said the arrest resulted from “international police cooperation between B…
Former Brazilian spy chief and Bolsonaro ally arrested by ICE in US, claims persecution
Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s spy chief, who is accused of having plotted a coup attempt to keep his boss in power. Alexandre Ramagem, Bolsonaro’s intelligence chief, was sentenced in absentia to 16 years in prison in September over his role in the alleged coup attempt, which included plans to assassinate incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Lula told a local outlet on Tuesday …
Runaway Brazilian ex-spy chief convicted in coup reportedly detained by ICE at Florida traffic stop
U.S. immigration authorities reportedly detained former Brazilian intelligence chief Alexandre Ramagem in Florida on Monday, months after Brazil sentenced him to prison for his role in a plot to keep former President Jair Bolsonaro in power after the 2022 election.Brazilian authorities said Ramagem fled the country in September 2025, shortly after being sentenced to 16 years in prison. But Ramagem's supporters argue that he has an active asylum …
Former Brazilian Intelligence Chief Detained by ICE in Florida
Alexandre Ramagem, a former chief of the Brazilian intelligence agency and a close ally of former President Jair Bolsonaro, has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Orlando, Florida. Ramagem was chief of the ABIN intelligence agency from 2019 until 2022, when he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies, representing Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party. In September 2025, he was sentenced to 16 years in prison for his role i…
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