Brazil’s fugitive former intelligence chief and lawmaker Alexandre Ramajem has been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Ramajem, who faces a 16-year prison sentence in Brazil for his role in a coup plot with far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro, has been living in exile in Florida in recent months.
Brazil’s Federal Police appeared to refer to Ramajem’s detention in a statement released on Monday. The newspaper announced that a Brazilian fugitive convicted by Brazil’s Supreme Court had been “arrested” in Florida, which it said was a result of “international police cooperation between Brazil and the United States in the fight against organized crime.”
In an interview with CNN, he did not say whether he had requested Ramajem’s extradition.
ICE’s website states that Ramajem is “in ICE custody,” but provides no further details.
Journalist Paulo Figueiredo, an ally of Mr. Bolsonaro, said Mr. Ramajem was detained after a traffic stop and then referred to ICE. He added that Mr. Ramajem has legal status in the United States and has a pending asylum application under review.
Figueiredo told CNN that Immigrex, a company in which he is a partner, is acting as Ramajem’s legal representative.
Ramajem, who served as Brazil’s intelligence chief under Bolsonaro, attended a security forum last month at Trump’s golf resort in Miami.
CNN has reached out to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the State Department, and Brazil’s presidential office for more information.
Mr. Ramajem’s detention came after Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced on Friday a new agreement with U.S. authorities to crack down on organized crime.
