By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Argentinian police on Thursday arrested a Brazilian, Joelton Gusmao de Oliveira who was declared wanted over attempted coup last year in support of former far-right leader, Jair Bolsonaro.
The police statement also said Brazil had previously issued a warrant for his “arrest and detention” for extradition.
Forty-seven-year-old Oliveira was arrested in Argentina’s La Plata, 60 kilometers (37 miles) south of Buenos Aires, according to a police statement
A Brazilian court had in February handed Oliveira a 17-year prison sentence in absentia for the attempted coup and armed criminal association.
Thousands of pro-Bolsonaro activists invaded the presidential palace, Congress and the Supreme Court on January 8, 2023, demanding the intervention of the armed forces to depose the newly elected left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Brazilian news site UOL said Oliveira was a refugee arrested while trying to renew his papers.
In October, the Argentine government amended the law preventing foreigners charged or convicted over “serious crimes” from being granted refugee status.