Authorities in Brazil have conducted raids on multiple properties associated with Carlos Bolsonaro, a son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, as part of an inquiry into allegations that opponents of President Bolsonaro were unlawfully surveilled by the Brazilian intelligence service during his tenure.

Carlos Bolsonaro frequently used social media to criticize his father's detractors and has faced accusations of disseminating misinformation, which he refutes. Neither Carlos Bolsonaro nor his father have issued statements regarding the recent raids.

The scandal emerged after Brazil's Supreme Court disclosed documents revealing accusations against the country's intelligence agency, Abin, for allegedly conducting surveillance on prominent political and judicial figures who opposed the former president.

The targets purportedly included three Supreme Court justices and a congressional speaker critical of the administration.

Police executed searches at the residence and workplaces of Alexandre Ramagem, the former director of Abin and a close associate of Jair Bolsonaro.

However, the investigation intensified its focus on the former president when authorities arrived at a beachfront property where Bolsonaro and his sons were reportedly on a fishing excursion in Angra dos Reis.

This latest probe adds to the legal problems of Jair Bolsonaro, who has been banned from running for office for eight years after casting unfounded doubts about Brazil's electronic voting system.

Now police are investigating whether Abin may have been illegally used during Mr Bolsonaro's presidency to collect information on people who were perceived to be critical of the president.

During his father's presidency, Carlos Bolsonaro often acted as an unofficial spokesman for the elder Bolsonaro, attacking foes of the president on social media.

A police source told Reuters news agency they suspected that Carlos Bolsonaro had illegally used information gathered by Abin.

Police said last week that their investigations indicated that a "criminal group" had created "a parallel structure within the Brazilian Intelligence Agency (Abin) and used its tools and services for illicit acts, producing information for political and media purposes, for personal gain and to interfere in federal police investigations".

Under Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, Brazil became increasingly polarised with followers and opponents of the president accusing each other of dirty tactics.

Since he narrowly lost to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the 2022 election, the former president has come under investigation for several alleged wrongdoings, including corruption and abuse of power.

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