Defeated presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro arrives in US after Brazil cancels his passports

Defeated presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro has arrived in the US, hours after Brazil cancelled his passports, sources have told the BBC.

The right-wing candidate left the country after its Supreme Court ordered that he surrender his passports amid an investigation into alleged money laundering. Bolsonaro has not been charged and has denied the allegations.

His passports were cancelled on Tuesday after he missed a deadline to hand them over to authorities, prompting widespread speculation that he may have left Brazil.

Sources told BBC Brasil and BBC Mundo that Bolsonaro met with his younger brother, Eduardo, in Florida - though his exact travel route from Brazil to the US is unclear.

His reported arrival in the US came hours after a senior US official confirmed the US State Department would issue visas to Bolsonaro and his family and allow them entry into the country.

The BBC has contacted the White House, State Department and embassies in both the US and Brazil.

On Monday, Brazil's Supreme Court ordered Bolsonaro to hand his passports over to police within 24 hours as part of its alleged money laundering probe.