Bolsonaro stayed in embassy

Brazil’s far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro stayed for two nights at the Hungarian Embassy in Brasilia last month, just days after federal police confiscated his passport and arrested two former aides on suspicion of plotting a coup, Bolsonaro’s lawyer said Monday.

Bolsonaro’s Feb. 12-14 stay at the Hungarian embassy was first reported by The New York Times based on security camera footage from inside the embassy.

The episode raises questions about the former president’s plans as he faces multiple criminal investigations in Brazil that have already jailed several members of his inner circle. Brazilian police would not be able to arrest a politician staying at a foreign embassy.

Bolsonaro’s lawyer Fabio Wajngarten said on social media that the ex-president spent two days housed in the embassy “to maintain contact with officials of the friendly country” and “get updates on the political landscape of both nations.”

“Any other interpretations that go beyond the information provided here are clearly fictional, unrelated to the reality of the facts and are, in practice, just another piece of fake news,” Wajngarten wrote.