Presidential candidate Bolsonaro stable after stabbing
Brazilian presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro, the frontrunner in October elections, was stabbed during a campaign rally in the city of Juiz de Fora, in southeastern Brazil, yesterday, local media outlets reported. He was in stable condition at a hospital, according to his family and local news reports.
Cellphone footage released by Brazilian media showed the candidate sitting on a supporter’s shoulders and waving to the crowd when someone plunged a knife into his abdomen. He was carried by his supporters to a car, grimacing and clutching his side, and was taken to hospital.
A 40-year-old man identified as the perpetrator was beaten by the crowd, police said. He was arrested and confessed to the crime, according to news reports.
Bolsonaro’s son Flavio tweeted that his father arrived at the hospital ‘‘nearly dead.’’ But he said that his father later appeared to be in stable condition.
Hospital officials said the candidate suffered a serious wound to his intestine and was undergoing surgery, according to news reports.
The stabbing marks the second violent episode at an electoral rally during the presidential campaign. In May, several bullets struck buses in a caravan of supporters of former president Luiz Ina´ cio Lula da Silva. Nobody was hurt.
The election campaign has been the most contentious in recent history. Last week, Brazil’s electoral court barred Lula from running because of corruption charges. The former president had been campaigning from behind bars.
‘‘This reveals something that we need to be attuned to. The intolerance that has existed in Brazilian society is unacceptable,’’ said Brazilian President Michel Temer. – Washington Post