Bolsonaro hospitalized ahead of surgery

Bras lia, Brazil: Brazil s former president Jair Bolsonaro, imprisoned for attempting a coup, has been admitted to hospital in Brasilia where he will...

Brasília, Brazil: Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro, imprisoned for attempting a coup, has been admitted to hospital in Brasilia where he will undergo a planned surgery, his doctors said Wednesday.

A convoy of black cars and motorcycles entered the parking garage of the DF Star hospital early Wednesday, transporting the ex-president from a federal police headquarters where he began serving a 27-year sentence in November.

The surgery to repair an inguinal hernia -- a protrusion in the groin area due to a tear in the abdominal muscles -- will begin at 1200 GMT on Thursday and last three to four hours, surgeon Claudio Birolini said.

"It's a complex operation, there are no simple operations, but it is scheduled, and we expect everything to go smoothly," Birolini told a press conference outside the hospital.

Bolsonaro will be hospitalized for five to seven days, cardiologist Brasil Caiado said.