Brazil targets former President Bolsonaro’s son in spying investigation

Brazil’s federal police carried out a search warrant Monday for Carlos Bolsonaro, a son of former President Jair Bolsonaro and a Rio de Janeiro city councilman, an officer with knowledge of the operation told The Associated Press.

The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to comment publicly about the case.

Police said in a statement that they conducted nine searches Monday as part of a broader investigation into the nation’s intelligence agency and alleged spying on political opponents under Bolsonaro, who left office at the end of 2022.

Carlos Bolsonaro’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the AP. Bolsonaro has not commented publicly on the search.

Former President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro looks on after a press conference two days after being defeated by Lula da Silva in the presidential runoff at Alvorada Palace on Nov. 1, 2022 in Brasília, Brazil. (Andressa Anholete/Getty Images)

Monday’s operation comes days after federal police searched the office and home of the former chief of Brazil’s intelligence agency under Bolsonaro, Alexandre Ramagem, and a dozen other people.

Police statements and Supreme Court documents show police are investigating an “organized crime” group that operated within the intelligence agency during Bolsonaro’s term that allegedly used the agency’s tools and services for political use and personal gain.

The group is also suspected of seeking to interfere with ongoing police investigations, some of which targeted or involved two of Bolsonaro’s sons, Jair Renan and Flávio, a sitting senator.

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Monday’s police statement said the latest operation sought to advance the political side of the investigation, to “identify the main recipients and beneficiaries of illegally produced information.”