Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro hospitalized with abdominal pain related to old stab wound

(CNN) — Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro was hospitalized for severe abdominal pain related to a wound sustained when he was stabbed on the campaign trail seven years ago.

The source of the pain was a “complication in the small intestine,” caused by the multiple surgeries he underwent after being stabbed in 2018, the far-right ex-leader said in a post on X on Friday.

He added that there is a “very good chance” that he will be transferred to the capital Brasilia to continue treatment, which could include another surgery.

On Friday, the 70-year-old described his condition as stable and without fever. He thanked the medical staff and all Brazilians “for their prayers, messages and displays of affection.”

Earlier, his son Carlos Bolsonaro said the former leader was assessed for adhesions in his abdomen and was sedated for tests at a hospital in Santa Cruz.

After he was “awake and lucid,” Bolsonaro was flown by helicopter to a hospital with more resources in Natal, the capital of Brazil’s northeastern state of Rio Grande do Norte, Carlos said.

Bolsonaro, a polarizing figure in Brazil, was elected president in 2018, months after his high-profile stabbing at a political rally.

In the years since, he has had several instances of hospitalization as a result of the injury.

Bolsonaro underwent surgery In January 2019 to remove a colostomy bag fitted after the stabbing. In 2022, he suffered an intestinal blockage. The former president was also admitted to a hospital in Florida in 2023 after experiencing abdominal discomfort.

Brazil’s Supreme Court recently ruled that Bolsonaro should stand trial on charges related to an alleged plot to overturn the results of the 2022 election, which he lost to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. He has denied wrongdoing.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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