Bolsanaro ally throws grenades at police days ahead of presidential election

Supporters of former lawmaker Roberto Jefferson protest against his arrest (Bruna Prado/AP)

A Brazilian politician threw grenades at federal police officers seeking to arrest him in his home on Sunday, prompting an hours-long siege that caused alarm across the country.

Roberto Jefferson, a former lawmaker and an ally of President Jair Bolsonaro, also fired a rifle at police, wounding two officers in the rural municipality Comendador Levy Gasparian, in Rio de Janeiro state.