Brazil has deported an alleged Palestinian Hamas member and his family following a request from the US State Department, according to Brazilian federal police sources.
Muslim M. A. Abuumar, along with his seven-month-pregnant wife, son, and mother-in-law, were detained upon arrival at Sao Paulo’s Guarulhos airport and subsequently placed on a Qatar Airways flight to Doha on Sunday.
A senior federal police officer confirmed the US State Department’s involvement and stated that a judge had verified Abuumar’s significant connections to Hamas.
Initially, a federal judge in Sao Paulo halted the deportation and sought further information from the police. Upon receiving the necessary details, the judge authorized the deportation of Abuumar and his family.
According to an injunction filed by Abuumar’s lawyer, Bruno Henrique de Moura, the family was detained without a warrant while visiting Abuumar’s brother in Brazil.
Abuumar, 37, is the executive director of the Asia Middle East Center, and his wife and children are Malaysian citizens.
A police source mentioned that Abuumar first traveled to Brazil on January 1, the day leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took office.
Palestinian Ambassador in Brasilia, Ibrahim Al Zeben, noted that the embassy was not officially informed about Abuumar’s situation but expressed confidence in Brazilian policy.
The diplomatic situation between Israel and Brazil has become tense after President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva recalled his ambassador from Tel Aviv, Frederico Meyer.
The storm began when Lula accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, comparing its military campaign to Hitler’s treatment of Jews during World War II.
Lula stated last Sunday to reporters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, during the African Union summit, “What’s happening in Gaza is genocide, not a war between soldiers but between a highly prepared army and women and children, something unprecedented in history. In fact, it did happen: when Hitler decided to kill the Jews.”
