Brazilian presidential frontrunner Jair Bolsonaro stabbed at campaign rally a month before election

The far-right politician leading the polls in Brazil’s presidential race is in serious condition after being knifed at a campaign rally just one month before the election.

Jair Bolsonaro was rushed to hospital after being stabbed by a man who ambushed him as he was being carried on the shoulders of a supporter on Thursday.

The far-right candidate was in intensive care following the shocking incident and remained there today in a serious but stable condition. Police said his suspected attacker was in custody.

Dr Luiz Henrique Borsato, who performed emergency surgery on Bolsonaro, said the politician would remain in intensive care for at least a week.

Presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro is taken on the shoulders of a supporter moments before being stabbed
AP

The first round of Brazil's presidential election is on October 7.

The doctor said the two-hour procedure stopped serious internal bleeding and repaired most of the damage from the stab wounds to Bolsonaro’s abdomen.

Dramatic videos on social media showed Bolsonaro, who has promised to crack down on crime in Latin America's largest nation, being stabbed campaigning in Juiz de Fora, a city about 125 miles north of Rio de Janeiro.

At the moment of the attack, Bolsonaro was on the shoulders of a supporter, looking out at the crowd and giving a thumbs up with his left hand.

People surround a man, who is not pictured, suspected of stabbing Brazilian presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro
REUTERS

After the incident, he is seen flinching and then goes out of view. Other videos show supporters carrying him to a car and hitting a man who was apparently the suspect.

Police spokesman Flavio Santiago confirmed that 40-year-old Adelio Bispo de Oliveira had been arrested in connection with the incident.

De Oliveira was beaten badly by Bolsonaro supporters after the attack. The man was arrested in 2013 for another assault, police said.

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