A former Brazilian spy chief who fled the country is being held by ICE in the US, a lawyer said

A Brazilian senator said on Monday that the country’s former intelligence chief, Alexandre Ramagem, has been arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and is appealing for political asylum in the United States.

Ramagem, also a former lawyer, was sentenced to 16 years in September for his role in the 2023 coup attempt by supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. Brazilian police say he fled to the South American country before he began serving his sentence.

Sen. Jorge Seif said on his social media that he told the American ambassador in Brasilia that Ramagem should not continue in custody because he was being persecuted at home. Seif did not provide details on why the former head of Brazil’s intelligence agency was detained.

On Monday, Ramagem appeared in custody on ICE’s online detainee database, although his whereabouts were not specified.

“The political persecution against President Bolsonaro, his sons and his allies is now hitting the elected legislature in other countries,” said Seif. “In our letter (to the American embassy) we have shown all the reasons that justify and protect the granting of political asylum to Ramagem and his family.”

Ramagem was stripped of his position at the Brazilian congress in December due to his conviction for coup d’état one month ago.

Earlier on Monday, Brazilian federal police said in a statement that ICE arrested “a fugitive from a Brazilian court following convictions for organized crime, attempted coup d’état, and attempted violent subversion.” The statement did not mention Ramagem by name.

The Brazilian police also said that an unnamed fugitive was recently sentenced by the country’s highest court for three crimes similar to those Ramagem was convicted of.

An attorney for ICE and Ramagem did not respond to The Associated Press’ request for comment.

“International Police Cooperation”

Ramagem, 53, was a police officer and head of Brazil’s intelligence agency, ABIN, under Bolsonaro.

He was later elected as a federal attorney, but lost his seat after his conviction.

Bolsonaro is serving a 27-year prison sentence for the plot, which prosecutors say failed due to a lack of support from senior military officials.

Local media reported that Ramagem left Brazil across the border with Guyana, bypassed immigration controls, and entered the United States with a diplomatic passport.

Brazil formally requested the extradition of Ramagem in December.

A police statement said their arrest was the result of “international police cooperation between the Federal Police and US authorities.”

Bolsonaro ally and promoter Paulo Renato Figueiredo, who lives in the United States, wrote in X that Ramagem was arrested for “violating the traffic law.”

Figueiredo — the grandson of the last general to preside over Brazil during the 1964-1985 dictatorship — said Ramagem’s immigration status was legal, and he had an asylum application pending.

“We expect him to be released soon, at this time, we do not see any risk of deportation.”

In another case, Ramagem is being investigated for allegedly leading a gang that carried out illegal espionage on behalf of a far-right party leader and his inner circle using Israeli surveillance software.

State police have proposed charges against Ramagem and about 30 others, including the son of former president Carlos Bolsonaro, in connection with the investigation.

Former president Bolsonaro has been serving his sentence under house arrest for health reasons since last month, when he was rushed from prison to hospital suffering from bronchopneumonia.

He chose his eldest son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, to face Lula in the October elections.

The latest poll by the Datafolha Institute published on Sunday showed Flavio Bolsonaro with 46 percent of voters’ intentions compared to 45 percent for Lula in a possible move.