news/GOOG/2023.01.09/Bolsonaro in Florida hospital; 1,500 supporters detained after Brasilia riots.txt

*Bolsonaro hospitalized for stomach pain, U.S. visa doubts*Lula says military did nothing to stop coup-mongers*Biden and other world leaders condemn riots(Adds details of trucker protests in paragraph 21)BRASILIA/ORLANDO, Fla., Jan 9 (Reuters) - Far-right
former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was admitted to a
hospital in Florida on Monday with stomach pains as 1,500 of his
supporters were rounded up in Brasilia after storming key
buildings in the capital over the weekend.President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a leftist who took
office on Jan. 1 after defeating Bolsonaro in an October
election, vowed to bring those responsible to justice. He
accused rioters of trying to overthrow democracy, and questioned
why the army had not discouraged calls for a military coup
outside their barracks.On Sunday, angry mobs rampaged through Congress, the Supreme
Court and presidential offices, smashing windows, furniture and
artwork in the worst attack on state institutions since Brazil's
return to democracy in the 1980s.Bolsonaro, who flew to the United States days before his
term in office ended, went to a hospital in Orlando on Monday
complaining of intestinal pains related to a stabbing he
suffered during the 2018 election campaign. His doctor said he
has an intestinal blockage that was not serious and would likely
not need surgery.In an interview with CNN Brasil, Bolsonaro said he had
planned to stay in the United States until the end of January,
but now plans to go back to Brazil sooner to see his doctors."I intend to bring forward my return because in Brazil the
doctors already know about my problem of intestinal obstruction
due to the stab wound," Bolsonaro said, according to a report on
the CNN Brasil website.U.S. STAY IN QUESTIONBolsonaro faces several investigations before the
Supreme Court in Brazil and his future in the United States,
where he traveled with a visa issued to heads of state,
diplomats and other government officials, is in question.Representative Joaquin Castro, a Democratic lawmaker in the
U.S. Congress, said on CNN that the United States should not
give refuge to an "authoritarian who has inspired domestic
terrorism" and should send Bolsonaro back to Brazil.The U.S. government declined to comment on Bolsonaro's
current visa status.U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said a person
who entered on a visa for foreign officials must depart the
country within 30 days or apply for a change of immigration
status if they are no longer engaged in official business.Restoring order in the Brazilian capital, Brazilian soldiers
backed by police on Monday dismantled a two-month-old camp
opposite the army's headquarters where Bolsonaro supporters have
been protesting since his election defeat.Some 1,200 people from the camp were detained for
questioning on Monday, authorities said, after about 300 arrests
on Sunday.Thousands of Bolsonaro's backers set off from that
encampment on Sunday before storming the presidential palace,
Supreme Court and Congress.Lula, who was back at work at the ransacked Planalto palace,
met with his defense minister and commanders of the armed forces
to discuss the violence, reminiscent of the assault on the U.S.
Capitol two years ago by backers of former President Donald
Trump.Speaking later to the country's governors, Lula stepped up
his criticism of the Brazilian military for tolerating
demonstrations at their gates calling for a coup since Bolsonaro
lost the election."People were openly calling for a coup outside the barracks,
and nothing was done. No general lifted a finger to tell them
they could not do that," the 77-year-old president said. He
accused some security forces of being complicit with rioters.LULA WASHINGTON INVITATIONU.S. President Joe Biden joined other world leaders in
condemning Sunday's riots, calling them "outrageous," while
Bolsonaro, who is now in Florida, denied inciting his supporters
and said the rioters had "crossed the line."In a phone call on Monday, Biden invited Lula to visit
Washington in early February, according to a statement from the
White House.Pro-Bolsonaro truckers, who have caused intermittent havoc
on Brazil's highways for months, held more protests through
Sunday night. The truckers are among Bolsonaro supporters who
refuse to accept the result of the October election, seeking to
cause economic disruption in order to provoke a military coup.Police on Monday removed their blockade of the BR 163
highway that cuts through Brazil's top grain-producing state
Mato Grosso and on another highway in Parana state.Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the
governor of Brasilia removed from office late on Sunday for 90
days over alleged security failings and demanded that social
media platforms Facebook, Twitter and TikTok block accounts of
users spreading anti-democratic propaganda.Facebook parent Meta and Google's video
platform YouTube said on Monday they were removing content
supporting or praising the weekend actions. TikTok and Twitter
did not respond to requests for comment.Brazil's financial markets held steady after an early drop,
with the Bovespa benchmark stock index edging higher in
afternoon trading and the currency closing 0.4% weaker against
the U.S. dollar. Some analysts said Sunday's violence could
strengthen Lula politically.(Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu, Gabriel Stardgarter, Gabriel
Araujo, Anthony Boadle and Sergio Queiroz; Editing by Brad
Haynes, Edmund Blair, Paul Simao, Cynthia Osterman and Kenneth
Maxwell)