The former federal deputy, 53, on Monday (13) in honor of the country’s service.
Impeached by the Chamber and on the run from Brazil, he had been sentenced by the STF (Supreme Federal Court) to 16 years for an attempted coup d’état.
Ramagem was general director of Abin (Brazilian Intelligence Agency) in the government of Jair Bolsonaro (). Find out more about the arrest and the next steps in the case.
Why was Alexandre Ramagem arrested in the United States?
According to members of the American government, Ramagem was arrested for immigration reasons. from the United States Department of Homeland Security shows that he had an expired visa.
The Federal Police stated that the former deputy was arrested as a result of international police cooperation with US authorities.
Allies of the former deputy refute this statement and say that he was detained due to an alleged minor traffic violation, which culminated in an immigration analysis.
What was he doing in the USA?
Ramagem fled to the United States after being sentenced to 16 years in prison for participating in the coup plot. According to the director general of the Federal Police, Andrei Rodrigues, the former deputy left Brazil clandestinely via the border with Guyana.
He would have moved in September to a luxury condominium in Florida, while recording videos and voting remotely in Chamber sessions, supported by a medical certificate. Subsequently, the House revoked his mandate.
Recently, Ramagem said he would try one in the USA.
What would Ramagem’s role have been in the coup plot?
Ramagem was accused of being one of those responsible for preparing the former president’s (PL) speech against the .
According to the PGR (Attorney General’s Office), he also set up a parallel structure at Abin to carry out virtual attacks and produce disinformation against opponents, using tools such as the FirstMile system to monitor the location of cell phones of STF ministers, deputies and journalists.
His defense denies the accusations.
What happens now?
A document from the US Department of Homeland Security says that, because the video was purged, Ramagem .
The government had already requested that he be extradited to Brazil. Bolsonaro supporters appealed to the US Embassy and the Ministry of Justice for him to be released.
