Jair Bolsonaro, the far-right frontrunner in next month’s Brazilian presidential election, is in a serious condition after being stabbed while campaigning, The Guardian reports.

 

Bolsonaro was taken to hospital in the town of Juiz de Fora, about 125 miles (200km) north of Rio de Janeiro, after he was stabbed by a man who rushed up to him while he was being carried through a crowd on the shoulders of a supporter.

 

He was in a serious but stable condition after injuries to his abdomen, surgeons at the Santa Casa de Misericórdia hospital said.

 

Bolsonaro’s son Flávio – himself a candidate for the Brazilian Senate – tweeted that his father was “almost dead” when he arrived at hospital, having lost a lot of blood.

 

Videos shared on social media showed the moment Bolsonaro was attacked. He can be seen waving to the crowd when he suddenly clutches his abdomen and cries out in pain before falling backwards into the arms of those around him. O Globo newspaper reported that he was wearing a bulletproof vest, but was wounded just below it.

 

A police spokesman confirmed that the alleged attacker – named as Adélio Bispo de Oliveira – was in custody. Local media said he was beaten up by Bolsonaro supporters.

 

The G1 news website printed a leaked extract from the suspect’s police interview in which he said he had been ordered by God to carry out the attack.

 

“The Minas Gerais police reacted rapidly. Uniformed officers who were there arrested the attacker,” said Major Flavio Santiago, a police spokesman.