Bolsonaro touches down in Brazil after self-imposed exile

Brazil's ex-president, Jair Bolsonaro, has returned from his self-imposed exile in the United States.

The far-right former leader landed in the capital, Brasilia, on a commercial flight from Florida, where he spent the past three months.

It is the first time Mr Bolsonaro is back in his home country since his supporters stormed government buildings in Brasilia on 8 January.

He faces an investigation into whether he incited the rioters.

While the former president told CNN when he boarded the plane for Brazil that he was not planning on leading the opposition to current president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, many in Brazil are curious to see how much of a following he still has in his home country.

Following the rioting caused by his supporters on 8 January, police have taken precautions for his return, such as cordoning off the main esplanade in the capital. He is also expected to be taken out of the airport by a back exit to prevent crowds gathering the arrivals hall.

Mr Bolsonaro left Brazil on board a Brazilian air force plane on 30 December, just two days before he was due to hand over the presidential sash to his rival, left-winger Luis Inácio Lula da Silva, known as Lula.

Lula narrowly beat Mr Bolsonaro in a presidential run-off on 30 October, a defeat the far-right leader never publicly recognised.

Many of his supporters also refused to acknowledge Lula's victory, camping out in front of army barracks in the hope of swaying the military to depose the newly elected president.

With Brazil's institutions, including the military, backing the democratic handover of power to Lula, Mr Bolsonaro disappeared almost completely from the public scene, rarely leaving the presidential palace and keeping uncharacteristically quiet on social media platforms.

His supporters, though, were anything but quiet, rampaging through key government buildings in Brasilia just a week after Lula took power.

More than 1,500 people were arrested.

While Mr Bolsonaro was in Florida when Brazil's Congress was stormed, investigators argue his rhetoric - repeatedly questioning the validity of the election result and saying that only God or death could remove him from office - incited the rioters.

The investigation into alleged incitement is not the only legal challenge he faces. There is also a probe under way into whether he tried to illegally import and keep millions of dollars' worth of jewellery he and his wife were given by Saudi Arabia in 2019.

Mr Bolsonaro has been summoned to testify in that case in less than a week's time.

After landing in Brasilia, he is expected to make his way to the headquarters of his Liberal Party, where he will meet his wife Michelle and party leaders.

The Liberal Party leader has said that he is keen for Mr Bolsonaro to campaign on behalf of the party ahead of local elections next year.

"Bolsonaro will lead the opposition and travel around Brazil preaching the party's liberal values ​​and helping the PL grow," he said.

But analysts point out that during his three-month absence, other conservative politicians have come to the forefront.

The size of the crowd that turns out to greet Mr Bolsonaro will therefore not only be closely watched by his left-wing rivals, but also by his former allies.