Police conclude Bolsonaro’s attacker was lone wolf

Brazilian presidential hopeful Jair Bolsonar, of the Social Liberal Party (PSL), left Albert Einstein Hospital in São Paulo on Saturday (Sep. 29) and went straight home in Rio de Janeiro. His release took place a day after the Federal Police reported the conclusion of the inquiry against his attacker, Adélio Bispo de Oliveira.

The attacker who injured Jair Bolsonaro acted alone and was politically motivated. This is the conclusion reached by the Federal Police and submitted Friday (28) to authorities in the city of Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, where the assault took place.

Adélio Oliveira – Military Police

“It became clear that the motive [behind the attack] was political discontent on the part of Mr. Adélio towards the candidate’s political projects. The conclusion is that, on the day of the act, Adélio acted without the company of anyone, he was aided by no one,” said Minas Gerais Police Commissioner for the Fight Against Organized Crime Rodrigo Morais Fernandes, charged with the case.

De Oliveira is reported to have started planning the attack three days earlier, when he learned that Jair Bolsonaro would visit the city. On a cellphone confiscated by the police, the investigators found pictures of billboards announcing the arrival of Bolsonaro in Juiz de Fora.

The assault against Bolsonaro took place on September 6, while the candidate was attending a campaign rally downtown. He was stabbed in the abdomen among the crowd. Adélio Bispo de Oliveira was arrested and taken to a police station.

On September 8, de Oliveira was relocated to a federal prison in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, where he still is.