Jair Bolsonaro returning to Brazil for first time since 8 January riots

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is on his way back to Brazil after spending several months in the United States.

The far-right politician is back for the first time since his supporters stormed the Supreme Court, Congress and the presidential palace in January.

The riots came after weeks of protests alleging fraud in the defeat to President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva.

Speaking at a Florida airport before boarding the plane, he said he would not take a stand against Lula.

But Bolsonaro also said in an interview with CNN that he supports the Liberal Party as a “person with experience” and intends to campaign across Brazil in next year’s local elections.

After arriving at the Orlando terminal, he spoke with a large crowd of supporters and took pictures.

Bolsonaro is scheduled to land in Brasilia, Brazil’s capital, early local time (three hours behind GMT) on Thursday.

The former president faces a number of legal challenges upon his return, including an investigation into whether he instigated a riot that stormed a major government building a week after Lula took office.

He left the country in December before his successor took office, traveled to Florida, and applied for a six-month U.S. tourist visa.

Bolsonaro’s narrow defeat to his left-wing rival in last October’s presidential election sparked unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud by his supporters that ultimately escalated into a scene of violence in the capital.

He has expressed “regret” for the uproar, but denies he caused it.

However, Brazil’s Supreme Court has agreed to include him in its investigation into the Jan. 8 attack on a government building.

On that day, thousands of radical Bolsonaro supporters, who continue to claim the election was rigged, stormed Brasilia’s Supreme Court, parliament and presidential palace.

They have been camping in and around the city for weeks, calling for a military coup, and more than 1,200 people have been accused of rioting.

In February, Brazilian Senator Marcos de Val said Mr Bolsonaro had been at a meeting in December about plans to keep him in power, threatening to discredit the presidential election. claimed to have been asked to compromise.

Neither he nor his representatives have yet commented on de Val’s remarks.