Alexandre Ramagem, the former Director-General of Brazil’s Intelligence Agency, has been arrested by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
In a statement posted on its platform, ICE confirmed that Ramagem was arrested on April 13, 2026.
He had fled Brazil after being implicated in a plot to overthrow the government, in which he was allegedly involved alongside Jair Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro served as President of Brazil from 2019 to 2022. After losing the election, he allegedly attempted to overturn the government, but the effort failed.
Ramagem was sentenced to 16 years in prison for his role in the failed coup attempt against Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who defeated Bolsonaro in the 2022 elections.
It is not yet clear whether Ramagem was arrested following repeated requests from Brazil for his extradition to face justice. However, Paulo Figueiredo, a known ally of Bolsonaro living in the United States, claimed that Ramagem was arrested for violating traffic laws.
The legal proceedings against Bolsonaro have not been well received by Donald Trump, who has often used the issue to justify imposing tariffs on Brazilian goods.
Despite this, in September 2025, Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison after being found guilty of attempting to overthrow the government led by Lula da Silva following the 2022 elections.
