After bidding his fans a tearful farewell on Friday, the former president of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro departed the country two days before the inauguration of his replacement. He hasn't yet accepted a loss in the election.
According to many media sources, the controversial far-right leader boarded an air force jet at approximately 2:00 pm (1700 GMT) and it was headed for Florida in the United States.
Bolsonaro said, "I am flying; I'll be back shortly," according to CNN Brazil.
According to FlightAware, his aircraft arrived in Orlando at 9:00 p.m. (0200 GMT Saturday).
As a result, he won't be there for Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the Marxist Workers' Party's incoming president, to be inaugurated on Sunday.
Bolsonaro will technically hold the position of president for two more days.
Hamilton Mourao, his vice president and current president, will make a national statement on Saturday, according to the RNR public broadcaster.
The president did not comment when AFP inquired about Bolsonaro's visit itinerary and objectives.
Bolsonaro promised his social media fans in a live video he recorded on Friday morning that when Lula is elected president, "we will not watch the world end on January 1."
We have a bright future ahead, the outgoing commander stated, adding, "Battles are lost, but we will not lose the struggle."
After narrowly losing the race in October, Bolsonaro went radio silence until making his first public statement.
Following the counting of the ballots, Lula was proclaimed the victor with 50.9% of the vote over Bolsonaro's 49.1%.
He would be the first leader to assume office without the sash being handed over by the outgoing leader.
General Joao Batista Figueiredo, the final leader of the military dictatorship, is said to have skipped Jose Sarney's inauguration that year, according to historical documents that were published by the O Globo newspaper at the time.
Bolsonaro assured his followers in Brasilia and other cities that he had tried his best and urged them not to use force to thwart Lula's ascent to power.