Brazil’s fugitive former intelligence chief and lawmaker Alexandre Ramagem has been taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Ramagem, who faces a 16-year prison sentence in Brazil for his alleged involvement in a coup plot with far-right ex-President Jair Bolsonaro, has been living in exile in Florida in recent months.
Brazil’s federal police appeared to reference Ramagem’s detention in a statement published Monday. It said a Brazilian fugitive convicted by the Brazilian Supreme Court had been “arrested” in Florida, claiming it was the result of “international police cooperation between Brazil and the United States in the fight against organized crime.”
Contacted by CNN, it did not say whether it had requested Ramagem’s extradition.
ICE’s website said that Ramagem was “in ICE custody,” but did not provide further details.
Journalist Paulo Figueiredo, an ally of Bolsonaro, claimed the detention was not the result of cooperation between Brazilian and U.S. authorities. He said Ramagem was detained after a traffic stop and subsequently referred to ICE. He added that Ramagem has legal status in the U.S. and has a pending asylum request under review.
Figueiredo told CNN that Immigrex, a company where he is a partner, is providing legal representation to Ramagem.
Ramagem, who served as director of the Brazilian Intelligence Agency under Bolsonaro, attended a security forum at a Trump golf resort in Miami last month.
CNN has reached out to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the State Department and the Brazilian presidency for more information.
Ramagem’s detention comes after Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Friday announced a new agreement with U.S. authorities to crack down on organized crime.
By Michael Rios, Max Saltman, CNN
