Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro has left for the US after losing a presidential election and refusing to comply with a Supreme Court order to hand ‌over his passports, two sources and media reports say.

The US embassy in Brazil did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Bolsonaro’s lawyer also did not respond.

It ‌was not immediately clear where Bolsonaro was heading, what time he would arrive or whether he would seek asylum.

US President Donald Trump’s administration has previously ‌alleged Flavio’s father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, was a victim of judicial persecution in Brazil.

Flavio’s departure for the US threatens to deepen a rift between the two most populous countries in the Americas.

Leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has accused the US of colluding with the Bolsonaros to put them back in power.

Trump made no mention ‌of Bolsonaro’s departure in ‌comments to the press ⁠on Monday but said the Brazilian vote “looked like another rigged election”.

Lula’s office did not respond to ​a request for comment.

Bolsonaro was favoured to win Sunday’s presidential election but ended up losing in a shock result to Lula.

On Monday (local time), he was given 24 hours to surrender his passports as part of a money-laundering probe in which he denies wrongdoing but his documents were cancelled after the deadline lapsed, two other sources said.

Bolsonaro, who loses his immunity from prosecution when his Senate term ends in February, said on Monday he had no plans ⁠to flee.

“I have never thought about leaving the country,” he said.

“I will hand over ‌my passports ​and defend myself against this travesty, which is a clear attempt to intimidate me.”

Brazil’s Minister of Institutional Relations, Jose Guimaraes, commented on reports of Bolsonaro ​leaving the country ‌in an interview with CNN Brasil.

“I have no confirmation from the federal police or oversight bodies,” he said.

“But this speaks ​a lot about our opponent’s lack of preparation to govern the country.”

Jair Bolsonaro also went to the United States after refusing to concede to Lula in 2022, when then US president Joe Biden was in office. He eventually returned to Brazil but ​was  given a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup after ​his supporters stormed government buildings in Brasilia.

His son has yet to officially concede ‌defeat – saying on Sunday he would seek the annulment of the result over alleged voter irregularities. But his Liberal Party said on Monday it acknowledged Lula’s victory.

Bolsonaro initially asked for the election results to be annulled after chaos at some polling places that prompted authorities to extend voting by two hours.

On Monday, he urged the electoral court to investigate alleged election fraud and nullify Lula’s and Vice President Geraldo Alckmin’s candidacies, which the electoral court has never done before.

To overturn the result, Bolsonaro would have to present evidence of fraud affecting Lula’s 4.4 million-vote margin and convince the eight-member electoral court before the results are certified on December 18.

Lula, who turned 81 on Tuesday, received more than 64 million votes, compared with fewer than 60 million for Bolsonaro, a margin of nearly 4 per cent.

It remains unclear how Bolsonaro was able to leave the country while facing a 24-hour deadline to hand over his passports. A senior police official said Bolsonaro did not leave through any regular migration point.

Eduardo Bolsonaro, Bolsonaro’s younger brother who lives in the US, ​said ahead of the vote that an election loss would require a move.

“If my brother does not win, I’m in favour that ​he would leave the country,” he told podcaster ⁠Steven Crowder this month.