Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro — under house arrest while he appeals a conviction for a foiled coup attempt — was taken into custody on Saturday after the Brazilian Supreme Court deemed him a high flight risk.
The court said the far-right firebrand — who was sentenced to 27 years in prison over a scheme to stop Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office after the 2022 elections — had attempted to disable his ankle monitor to flee.
Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes said Bolsonaro’s detention was a preventive measure as final appeals play out.
Photo: REUTERS
In a video made public by the court, Bolsonaro admitted that he had used a soldering iron on the monitoring bracelet out of “curiosity.” The video showed the device badly damaged and burned, but still on his ankle.
The 70-year-old Bolsonaro, who governed Brazil from 2019 to 2022, was placed under house arrest in August and has been confined to an upscale condominium in the capital Brasilia.
Moraes in his ruling said that a planned vigil outside the condominium called by the former leader’s eldest son Flavio Bolsonaro on Saturday could cause turmoil that would “create an environment conducive to his escape.”
Flavio had urged Bolsonaro supporters to “fight for your country.”
The judge said the attempted disabling of the ankle monitor occurred early on Saturday as part of a plan to “ensure the success of his escape, facilitated by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his son.”
Moraes gave Bolsonaro’s attorneys 24 hours to explain the incident.
“I don’t know what’s going on inside the Federal Police now. If something happens to my father, Alexandre de Moraes, if my father dies in there, it’s your fault,” Flavio said in a live video broadcast.
He told reporters ahead of the vigil that his father could have burned the ankle monitor as an “act of desperation” or out of “shame” for having to wear it in front of visiting relatives.
Moraes highlighted the proximity of Bolsonaro’s home to the US embassy, raising the risk of him seeking political asylum.
Bolsonaro is an ally of US President Donald Trump, who has called the trial a “witch hunt” and imposed punitive tariffs and sanctions against Brazil over it.
Trump on Saturday said of Bolsonaro’s latest situation: “That’s too bad.”
Bolsonaro has been taken to a federal police complex in Brasilia where prisoners undergo medical examinations before being sent to jail, according to a source close to the case.
A group of women gathered outside the police headquarters and uncorked a bottle of sparkling wine to celebrate Bolsonaro’s imprisonment.
Ana Denise Sousa, 47, a high school philosophy teacher, said she was overjoyed.
“The biggest scoundrel, the worst guy ... who screwed everyone over, who [attempted] a coup, who never felt pity for anyone — and now he’s going to pay,” she said.
Bolsonaro’s legal woes have left Brazil’s large conservative electorate without a champion heading into next year’s presidential elections, in which Lula, 80, has said he would seek a fourth term.
His defense team said they would appeal the detention which “could put his life at risk” due to his alleged frail health.
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