'I want to punch you in the face': Bolsonaro threatens Brazilian reporter over corruption questioning

Brazil president's remarks to reporter spark immediate condemnation from journalists and opposition politicians

Bolsonaro threatened a reporter outside the Metropolitan Cathedral in Brasilia (AFP via Getty)

Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro threatened a reporter with violence on Sunday for asking about a series of mystery payments made to his wife.

"I want to punch you in the face, OK?" the far-right populist told a reporter from the O Globo newspaper who asked about deposits made in the bank account of his wife by a former aide to one of his sons.

Earlier this month, Brazilian media reported 89,000 reais (£12,000) were deposited in the account of Michelle Bolsonaro between 2011 and 2018 by Fabricio Queiroz.

Mr Querioz was an aide to the president's eldest son Flavio, who is now a senator, when he was state legislator in Rio de Janeiro. The former aide has been under house arrest while bank deposits amounting to 1.2m reais (£163,000), including those to Ms Bolsonaro's account, are subject to investigation.

Both the president's son and Mr Querioz deny all allegations.

Mr Bolsonaro has appeared irritated as the investigation has hounded members of his family, conflicting with a promise he was elected on to stamp out corruption in Brazil. Last year, he made a homophobic remark in response to a question about the situation by a reporter, also from O Globo.

His threat to the reporter on Sunday sparked immediate condemnation from other journalists and opposition politicians.

Marcelo Freixo, an opposition politician, tweeted that the president was a juvenile "bully" and asked: "Why don't you answer the question?"

Shortly after footage of the incident was shared, Brazilian journalists began tweeting en masse at Mr Bolsonaro's account the same question about the deposits in his wife's account which had so irked him.

By Sunday evening, the campaign had gone viral and Brazilian activists, celebrities and ordinary members of the public alike were tweeting the question to the president.

President of the Brazilian Press Association, Paulo Jeronimo, told O Globo that Mr Bolsonaro had "shocked the country with his rude behaviour".

He continued: "This kind of behaviour demonstrates a lack of manners and it is also an attempt to intimidate the press and prevent awkward questioning."

Additional reporting by Reuters