The front-runner in Brazil’s upcoming presidential elections, Jair Bolsonaro, has been stabbed at a campaign rally.
The far-right politician was stabbed in the stomach in a crowd in the south-east state of Minas Gerais, about 200km north of Rio de Janeiro, on Thursday.
A suspect has since been arrested.
Bolsonaro, 63, underwent surgery for injuries to his intestines and hospital officials said he would make a recovery.
The controversial politician has performed strongly in polls despite public outrage on his racist and homophobic comments.
The former army captain promised to crack down on crime, and has long argued that Brazil is in chaos and needs a strong hand.
After the attack, countless Brazilians argued on social media over whether the incident supports Bolsonaro’s assertions that the country is off the rails, or whether his heated rhetoric triggered the attack.
Dr Luiz Henrique Borsato, who performed emergency surgery on the candidate, said Mr Bolsonaro’s recovery is “satisfactory” so far.
He said the candidate would remain in hospital for at least a week after a two-hour operation to stop serious internal bleeding.
Police did not identify a motive, but one official said the man appeared to be mentally unstable.
After more than four years of revelations of widespread corruption within Brazil‘s political class, anger is running high in the country, and analysts initially predicted the poll would see huge changes. But no true outside candidate has emerged.