(Bloomberg) -- Brazil’s far-right presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro, who leads opinion polls, was stabbed during a rally on Thursday afternoon, according to local media reports.
Bolsonaro’s son, Flavio, confirmed on Twitter that his father was stabbed in the abdomen but said he is doing fine. He called it an “attack." Video footage shown on TV from the event in Minas Gerais state showed Bolsonaro clutching his stomach and grimacing as he sat atop supporters’ shoulders.
Brazil’s stocks and the currency rose after the reports, with the benchmark stock Ibovespa Index climbing as much as 1.25 percent.
Brazil will hold general elections in October. Bolsonaro in recent weeks had taken to campaigning with a bulletproof vest.
The former army captain has made a name for himself with his unapologetic rejection of political correctness and willingness to court controversy. Statements about women, minorities and LGBT people have repelled some Brazilians, but attracted many others.
The incident comes after a tumultuous period in Brazilian history that saw a president impeached 2 years ago and the still popular former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva jailed and barred from running in the election. It is the most unpredictable election since Brazil’s return to democracy in 1985 with a highly splintered field of candidates.