Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro was apprehended by federal police on Saturday as he was preparing to hold a gathering with his supporters near his residence, marking the end of his house arrest period while he contested a conviction by the Supreme Court for planning a coup. Bolsonaro’s lawyer, Celso Vilardi, confirmed the arrest without specifying the cause. The federal police stated that Bolsonaro underwent initial assessments in Brasilia on Saturday morning.
The detention was ordered by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who expressed concerns about the potential disruption by Bolsonaro’s supporters camping near his house, hindering police surveillance of his house arrest. Moraes also highlighted evidence of tampering with Bolsonaro’s ankle monitor the previous night. The judge mentioned in his decision that an unlawful gathering of the convict’s supporters could jeopardize the house arrest and other precautionary measures, facilitating a possible escape.
Moraes referenced information suggesting Bolsonaro had contemplated seeking asylum at the Argentine Embassy in Brasilia. Additionally, the judge noted that one of Bolsonaro’s sons and other close associates had fled Brazil to evade legal proceedings. Another attorney representing Bolsonaro declined to comment immediately on the court ruling.
The former right-wing leader was sentenced in September to over 27 years in prison for orchestrating a coup following his defeat in the 2022 election to leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro was identified as the mastermind of a plan to prevent Lula from assuming office in 2023. Despite this, no final arrest warrant has been issued in that case as Bolsonaro has not exhausted all legal avenues.
Bolsonaro has been under stringent house arrest for more than 100 days for breaching precautionary measures in a separate case involving allegations of soliciting U.S. intervention to impede his criminal trial. Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who had a friendly relationship with Bolsonaro during their presidencies, criticized the legal proceedings as a “witch hunt.” He imposed sanctions on Justice Moraes overseeing the case and a 50% tariff on certain Brazilian imports, which he recently started to revoke.
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 and reclaim Brazil.
If Bolsonaro’s appeals prove unsuccessful, his defense team is anticipated to request permission for him to serve his nearly 30-year sentence under house arrest, citing various health concerns. The former president, who was attacked during a campaign event in 2018, has a medical history of hospitalizations and surgeries linked to the assault. Bolsonaro had previously been disqualified from running for office until 2030 by Brazil’s electoral court for abusing his authority during his 2022 reelection campaign.