Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro was placed under federal police custody on Saturday, just before a scheduled gathering of his supporters near his residence, marking the conclusion of his period under house arrest while he appealed a conviction by the Supreme Court for involvement in a coup plot.
Confirmed by Bolsonaro’s lawyer, Celso Vilardi, the detention took place without a specified reason. Federal police officials mentioned that Bolsonaro underwent initial examinations in Brasilia on Saturday morning.
The detention was ordered by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes in a court ruling, which highlighted concerns about Bolsonaro’s supporters camping near his residence hindering police surveillance during his house arrest. Moraes also pointed out evidence of tampering with Bolsonaro’s ankle monitor the previous night.
Moraes stated in his decision that the potential risk posed by an unauthorized assembly of the convict’s supporters could jeopardize the house arrest and other precautionary measures, potentially leading to his escape.
The judge referenced information indicating that Bolsonaro had contemplated seeking asylum at the Argentine Embassy in Brasilia. Additionally, Moraes noted in his ruling that one of Bolsonaro’s sons and other close associates had fled Brazil to evade legal consequences.
Another attorney representing Bolsonaro declined to provide an immediate response to the court order.
Following his defeat in the 2022 election to leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the right-wing former leader was sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison for his involvement in a coup plot.
Despite being identified as the orchestrator of a scheme to prevent Lula from assuming office in 2023, no final arrest warrant has been issued against Bolsonaro as he continues to exhaust his legal appeals.
Bolsonaro had been under strict house arrest for over 100 days due to alleged violations of precautionary measures in a separate case related to seeking U.S. intervention to halt legal proceedings against him.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who had a friendly relationship with Bolsonaro during their time in office, denounced the legal proceedings as a “witch hunt.” Trump imposed sanctions on Justice Moraes overseeing the case and initiated a 50% tariff on certain Brazilian imports, a measure he has recently started to reverse.
During his house arrest, Bolsonaro was prohibited from using social media but received visits from political allies.
Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, his son, urged supporters via social media to gather outside his father’s residence in Brasilia on Saturday evening, rallying them to stand together in defense of Brazil.
If Bolsonaro’s appeals prove unsuccessful, his defense team is anticipated to request permission for him to serve his almost thirty-year sentence under house arrest, citing various health complications. The former president, who survived a stabbing incident during a campaign event in 2018, has a medical history of hospitalizations and surgeries stemming from the attack.
Bolsonaro had previously been disqualified from running for any office until 2030 following a ruling by Brazil’s electoral court, which found him guilty of misusing his authority during his 2022 re-election campaign.