The defeated right-wing candidate has flown to the US - thanking Donald Trump and "the wonderful American people for welcoming me".

The 45-year-old senator said his victory was denied because of an electoral coup d'etat by his left-wing rival President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who unexpectedly surged ahead.

Mr Bolsonaro claimed there has been a "politically motivated witch-hunt, intended to hold me hostage".

He did not give any evidence for the alleged electoral fraud.

Lula's victory has been recognised by global leaders, international observers and Mr Bolsonaro's own party - with Brail's electoral authority saying the vote took place in full compliance with legal and constitutional requirements.

The defeated candidate landed in Miami on Wednesday morning after travelling from South America on a private jet.

"Faced with the politicisation of the justice system in Brazil, I brought my family to the United States, where we are safe," Mr Bolsonaro said.

He insisted he did not flee his country and left "so I could be the leader my people deserve" - adding he would "lead the opposition from here".

Mr Bolsonaro made his comments in an open letter shared ⁠with journalists by his allies, Reuters reported.

He later deleted the letter, in which ⁠he called himself "president-elect ⁠of Brazil", ‌from social ‌media and quickly published a ⁠new ​document calling ​himself ​the "leader ⁠of Brazil".

Mr Bolsonaro said in the updated version: "I want to say, not only to my 60 million ​voters but to the Brazilian people, that I am the leader and that the criminals who stole Brazil's election ‌are part of a criminal organisation that has established a tyranny."

Lula won a historic fourth term in a surprise result that defied polls and the left-wing candidate described reports his opponent had left the country as "shameful".

Mr Bolsonaro has refused to concede following defeat in the run-off vote and threatened to attempt to annul the election result.

He was ordered by Brazil's Supreme Court to surrender his passports ​to ​federal police as part of a probe into alleged money laundering, which he denies.

But he instead followed his father, jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro, who also fled to Florida after losing the 2022 presidential election to Lula.

Flavio Bolsonaro and his family crossed into Argentina via the Tancredo Neves International Bridge border crossing, before boarding a private flight bound for Ecuador, according to Argentina's migration department.

The senator appeared to be "distraught and fearful" of being arrested after his shock defeat became clear, news outlet O Globo said.

Voting was neck and neck throughout Sunday evening's count before Lula, 81, pulled away to secure an unprecedented fourth term in office.

With almost 100% of the votes counted, Brazil's electoral court said Lula had secured 51.79% of the ballots cast, to Mr Bolsonaro's 48.21%.

But Mr Bolsonaro refused to accept defeat and asked for the election results to be annulled after voting time had been extended by two hours by a Supreme Court judge. He said the extension was "unacceptable".

President Lula won by about 4.5 million votes and it is believed fewer than 35,000 ballots - 0.03% of the total - were cast during the additional two hours of voting.

Mr Trump did ​not endorse Mr Bolsonaro ahead of the vote, but said on Monday the results "looked like another ‌rigged election" without providing evidence.

Lula's victory was all the more remarkable given that Mr Bolsonaro beat him by 2.2 million votes in the first round of the election earlier this month.

The US central bank confirmed rates will remain at about 3.9% following a two-day policy meeting - with the announcement coming just days before the midterm elections taking place next week.

Fed chair Kevin Warsh did not confirm if rates would increase later this year - a move many economists are predicting - but insisted that holding rates now would allow for "the accumulation of more information" for future decisions.

Last month, the Fed hiked interest rates for the first time in three years, prompting an angry response from Mr Trump, who said the benchmark rate should be lowered to "1% or less".

The US president told reporters that rates were "too high" and "not appropriate" - adding that "we should be paying the lowest interest rates, because we have the strongest credit".

Despite tensions with the White House, Mr Warsh - speaking at a news conference on Wednesday - insisted "politics played no role" in the decision to keep interest rates unchanged.

US inflation, which rose to 3.7% in September, has accelerated in recent months as the Iran war has caused spikes in oil and gas prices.

It has led to concerns around the high cost of living - including groceries, petrol and housing - becoming a key focus of the upcoming midterm elections.

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Mr Warsh underscored the Fed's aim to bring inflation down to its 2% target, saying: "Energy and related prices have moved higher again in recent weeks.

"Our job is to ensure that relative price changes in some sectors do not broaden out across the economy."

It remains to be seen what impact the Fed's decision to leave interest rates on hold will have on the Bank of England, which meets next month.

In September, the Bank voted to keep rates at 3.75% - but economists are expecting a hike in borrowing costs before the end of the year in an attempt to tackle rising prices.

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has previously said that addressing the cost of living crisis is one of his key priorities.

Police said the girl had been inside an enclosure with a staff member and two other children when the attack happened at the Johannismühle wildlife park in Brandenburg, near Berlin, on Wednesday.

She was taken to hospital by helicopter after being attacked by at least one animal and suffering head injuries, according to German newspaper Bild.

No one else was hurt in the attack.

In a statement, police said that the "exact circumstances of the incident are under police investigation, which is ongoing".

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German media reported that the incident happened before the park opened, and that the girl may have been taking part in a special visit.

The park, located in the town of Baruth/Mark, has been temporarily closed and is set to reopen on 2 November, according to its website.

Johannismühle offers small group tours and "exclusive" visits, with the opportunity to "feed wolves" mentioned on its site.

The park keeps grey and arctic wolves, along with other animals including the brown bear and lynx.

The incident comes after a number of other animal attacks at zoos and wildlife parks across Europe in recent weeks.

On Tuesday, a zookeeper died after being attack by a leopard on Saturday at the Beekse Bergen safari park in the Netherlands.

Earlier this month, a 24-year-old man died after entering a tiger enclosure at Yorkshire Wildlife Park in the UK.

The actress died in August after being found unresponsive in an apartment in the South Carolina city of Greenville.

Panettiere's on-and-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach were in the property at the time.

Paramedics performed CPR and other resuscitation efforts for 40 minutes before declaring her dead.

Officers initially said there did not appear to be any signs of foul play - an assessment backed up by last month's post-mortem.

The coroner ruled Panettiere died from the toxic effects of an accidental overdose of several drugs, including the synthetic opioid fentanyl.

They found no signs of any physical trauma that would have contributed to her death.

The other drugs found in her system were 4-ANPP (fentanyl's chemical by-product), anti-anxiety medicine Alprazolam, muscle relaxer Methocarbamol, and Quetiapine - which can be used to treat severe depression.

Panettiere had been in rehab a few weeks before death, according to the coroner's report.

The 36-year-old found fame in the series Heroes, which ran from 2006 to 2010, and followed that with a role in Nashville, another hit TV programme.

She was involved in the entertainment world from a young age, appearing in adverts at just 11 months old and becoming a child actor.

Panettiere opened up about her struggles with postpartum depression and addiction in her memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning, which came out earlier this year.

She said it had led to her decision - in 2018 - to give custody of her daughter to her former partner, Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko, so she could get help.

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In an interview with podcaster Jay Shetty after the book's release, Panettiere said: "I think there's been this very common misconception that I just gave up my child. That could not be farther from the truth."

She described herself as being in a "horrible cycle for years of battling depression and anxiety and alcoholism and substance abuse" while "just trying to find my way back".

She also wrote about the pain of losing her brother Jansen, who died in 2023 from an undiagnosed heart condition.

Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for free on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.

CCTV was shown to a jury of Stephen Crean trying to disarm Anthony Williams during the five-minute attack on 1 November last year.

Prosecutor Christopher Paxton KC said Williams had "brought terror" to the LNER service from Doncaster to the capital.

Williams has admitted 10 counts of wounding with intent relating to the incident on the train at Huntingdon.

He also stabbed four other people in the 24 hours before the attack but denies 14 counts of attempted murder.

Opening the case, Mr Paxton told jurors: "Mr Crean will tell you that the defendant told him, and I quote, 'Do you want to die?'.

He said it was clear evidence of Williams' intention to kill and that Mr Crean had suffered wounds to his hand, head and lower back.

Mr Paxton told Cambridge Crown Court: "The defendant, Mr Williams, armed with a knife, caused terror and fear on an unimaginable scale, moving up and down a busy train, from which there was no escape, stabbing several people as he did so."

Mr Paxton said some passengers ran for their lives, hiding in locked toilets or under seats - while others showed "extraordinary bravery" as they tried to protect themselves and de-escalate the situation.

Crew member fought back with frying pan

Samir Zitouni - a member of the train crew - used a frying pan to try to stop Williams but was stabbed multiple times, the court heard.

Passenger Scott Green, who was travelling with his dog, tried to grab the knife from Williams, who allegedly continued to stab him in his seat.

Others attacked included Kevin Deely, who the court heard received wounds to his scalp and a 9cm deep cut to his stomach, and 73-year-old David Presland, who was attacked after he fell to the ground.

The court was told that Williams spent Halloween and the day after "marauding through towns and cities, on streets and trains alike, armed with a knife".

"He stabbed many, seeking to end their lives with deadly intention, striking out at them when they were defenceless and in fear," Mr Paxton told the court.

Williams attacked three people in Peterborough on the evening of 31 October, including stabbing a 14-year-old boy on a footbridge before lunging with the knife at a man, the court heard.

He's said to have asked them "are you involved?" before allegedly producing a large knife and then attempting to stab a man in the chest in a car park.

The prosecutor said Williams was then seen swigging alcohol outside a barber shop in Queen's Walk, before brandishing his knife inside.

He then took a taxi to Peterborough station and boarded a London-bound train, jurors were told.

The court heard a passenger heard Williams shouting words such as "boom" and "power" as he rummaged in his backpack and also mentioned the "devil".

After arriving in London, Williams is said to have stabbed a 17-year-old in the face and hand on the Docklands Light Railway at Pontoon Dock in the early hours of the following day.

He asked him if he was "beefing with the devil" before launching the attack, jurors were told.

Williams then travelled around on the Tube and train network, before heading back to Peterborough, via Stevenage.

The main attack happened later that evening when 10 people were stabbed on another train - which was heading south to London King's Cross.

Williams is said to have boarded at Peterborough at about 7.29pm. It was forced to make an emergency stop at Huntingdon station at 7.44pm.

The trial continues.