A former Israeli Mossad agent accompanied Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro as he fled Brazil for Argentina before boarding a private jet to the United States, according to an investigation by Brazilian authorities obtained exclusively by CNN Brasil. The operation, reportedly involving assistance from individuals in Argentina and the United States, was planned before the final round of Brazil's presidential election and was internally dubbed "Operation Alba."
Bolsonaro, the son of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and the defeated presidential candidate in last week's runoff election, crossed into Argentina by land on Tuesday, October 27, accompanied by his wife and two daughters. The family traveled in two separate vans across the Tancredo Neves International Bridge, which connects Foz do Iguaçu in southern Brazil with Puerto Iguazú in Argentina's Misiones province.
Flávio Bolsonaro
(Photo: Bruna Prado/AP)
Brazilian agencies investigating the escape identified the vehicles through security camera footage recorded at the border crossing. According to CNN Brasil, the vans carried license plates TBB 4A65 and FDF 8E91, and their drivers were not required to present passports to enter Argentina.
One of the drivers, a former city councilman from Foz do Iguaçu, transported Bolsonaro, while his son drove a second van carrying the senator's wife and their two daughters.
The investigation found that preparations for Bolsonaro's departure had begun during the final stages of the presidential runoff campaign. A former Israeli intelligence operative who had worked for the Mossad and later became a naturalized US citizen arrived in Brazil on October 19, six days before the election.
According to records examined by investigators, the former Mossad agent accompanied Bolsonaro from Brasília to Argentina and was traveling in the same van as the senator when they crossed the border. CNN reported that members of Argentine President Javier Milei's government subsequently provided assistance.
From Puerto Iguazú, the Bolsonaro family boarded a Gulfstream G400 private jet, registered LV-JQW and operated by Argentine charter company Baires Fly. The aircraft stopped in Guayaquil, Ecuador, to refuel before continuing to Florida, landing at Miami's Opa-locka Executive Airport at approximately 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, October 28. CNN broadcast the arrival live.
The private jet was reportedly arranged by Jason Miller, a political strategist close to US President Donald Trump who serves as a White House communications adviser, according to reporting by The New York Times. The newspaper reported that Miller had been in contact with Bolsonaro's brother Eduardo as the arrangements were made.
According to CNN Brasil, Bolsonaro used a Brazilian diplomatic passport upon arriving in the United States, despite the document having been canceled by Brazil's Federal Police following a court order.
Brazilian government officials familiar with the investigation believe the departure involved assistance from individuals and state authorities in Argentina and the United States. They described it as an "exfiltration," an operation designed to move a person out of a country covertly and without authorization.
Sources from three Brazilian agencies also told CNN that conflicting information circulated about Bolsonaro's whereabouts was part of a deliberate strategy to divert attention toward one possible departure point while the senator traveled along another route.
Investigators believe the escape was not an improvised, last-minute decision but a coordinated international operation involving extensive advance planning. The operation was reportedly assigned the internal codename "Alba."
The allegations of US government involvement have been disputed. On Saturday, October 31, Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied that Washington had directly facilitated Bolsonaro's departure. Rubio said the Trump administration had not arranged his travel, although Trump had authorized the senator's admission to the United States.
Brazil's Federal Police are now considering asking the Supreme Federal Court to freeze Bolsonaro's assets, including his bank accounts.
The Justice Ministry is awaiting a Federal Police report on the circumstances of his departure, which came after he failed to comply with a judicial order requiring him to surrender his passports. Once the report is complete, the ministry will determine whether to pursue international cooperation through official diplomatic and law enforcement channels.