A former Mossad agent who became a naturalized US citizen assisted Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, in escaping Brazil in violation of a judicial order barring him from leaving the country.
CNN Brazil revealed the operation on Friday, citing findings from a security agency investigation in Brazil.
According to the report, the operation was planned prior to the second round of the presidential election and involved assistance from figures in Argentina and the United States.
Former Mossad agent arrived prior to elections
According to the investigation, the former Israeli intelligence officer, whose identity has not been disclosed, arrived in Brazil on October 19, six days before the second round of the presidential election. He accompanied Bolsonaro from the capital, Brasília, to the border with Argentina and remained in the vehicle with him during the border crossing.
Brazilian investigators identified two commercial vans that crossed the Tancredo Neves Bridge connecting Foz do Iguaçu in Brazil to Puerto Iguazú in Argentina via security camera footage on Tuesday.
Bolsonaro and the former Mossad agent traveled in one of the vehicles, while his wife and two daughters traveled in the second. One driver was identified as a former municipal council member from Foz do Iguaçu, and the second driver was his son.
Private jet and Argentine assistance
After crossing the border, the family boarded a Gulfstream G400 executive jet operated by the Argentine airline Baires Fly. The aircraft took off for the United States, refueled in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and landed Wednesday morning at Opa-locka Executive Airport near Miami.
According to a report in The New York Times, Jason Miller, a political strategist close to US President Donald Trump, helped arrange the aircraft.
Concurrently, the Argentine newspaper Clarín reported that Santiago Caputo, a top advisor to Argentine President Javier Milei, arrived in the border area to oversee the operation and prevent documentation of the crossing.
Election defeat and judicial order
The escape followed Bolsonaro's defeat to incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the second round of elections on October 25.
Following the election, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the confiscation of Bolsonaro's passports and barred him from leaving the country. The senator is under investigation for suspected money laundering, including a case involving gambling platforms and another regarding the funding of a film about his father. The allegations have not been proven in court.
The Federal Police stated that no official record was found of the senator's departure through Brazilian border control checkpoints.
Diplomatic crisis between nations
Brazilian government officials described the event as a planned international rescue mission, internally dubbed Operation Alba. According to officials, spreading misleading information about Bolsonaro's whereabouts was part of the preparation. The Brazilian Foreign Ministry summoned Argentina's representative to demand clarifications regarding potential involvement by the Milei administration.
Simultaneously, 25 Democratic lawmakers in the United States demanded that the Trump administration explain whether US diplomatic resources were used to assist in the escape.
The Federal Police in Brazil is considering applying to the Supreme Court to freeze Bolsonaro's assets and bank accounts. At this stage, allegations of foreign government involvement and assistance from the former Mossad agent are based on investigation findings published in the media, not a final judicial ruling.