Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was hospitalized in Rio Grande do Norte state on Friday with abdominal pain, his son Senator Flavio Bolsonaro said in a statement.

The former president interrupted a political event with supporters after feeling "strong" pain and was taken via helicopter to a hospital in the state capital Natal, his political party said in a note.

He will undergo a CT scan and an MRI in Natal to determine whether the case will require surgery, Macedo added.

If surgery is needed, Bolsonaro could also be transferred to Sao Paulo, where he has previously undergone medical procedures related to a stabbing attack in 2018.