Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro — under house arrest while he appeals a conviction for a foiled coup attempt — was taken into custody Saturday after the Supreme Court deemed him a high flight risk.<\/p>\n
The court said the far-right firebrand — who was sentenced to 27 years in prison over a scheme to stop leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office after the 2022 elections — had attempted to disable his ankle monitor in order to flee.<\/p>\n
Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes said Bolsonaro’s detention was a preventive measure as final appeals play out.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Moraes said in his ruling 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.”<\/p>\n
Flavio had urged Bolsonaro supporters to “fight for your country.”<\/p>\n
The judge said the attempted disabling of the ankle monitor occurred early 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.”<\/p>\n
Moraes gave Bolsonaro’s attorneys 24 hours to explain the incident.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
He told reporters ahead of the vigil that his father could have burned the ankle monitor as a “act of desperation” or out of “shame” for having to wear it in front of visiting relatives.<\/p>\n
Moraes highlighted the proximity of Bolsonaro’s home to the US embassy, raising the risk of him seeking political asylum.<\/p>\n
Bolsonaro, a former army captain, 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.<\/p>\n
Trump said Saturday of Bolsonaro’s latest situation: “That’s too bad.”<\/p>\n
– Celebrations and anger –<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Another source sent a video to AFP showing the small room where Bolsonaro will be held for now, with a television, air conditioning and a mini-fridge.<\/p>\n
A group of women gathered outside the police headquarters and uncorked a bottle of sparkling wine to celebrate Bolsonaro’s imprisonment.<\/p>\n
Ana Denise Sousa, 47, a high school philosophy teacher, told AFP she was overjoyed.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
Supporters also arrived at the scene, draped in Brazil’s green and yellow flag.<\/p>\n
“This is all political persecution,” said Alessandro Goncalves de Almeida, a 53-year-old rideshare driver.<\/p>\n
– Time running out –<\/p>\n
Bolsonaro’s legal woes have left Brazil’s large conservative electorate without a champion heading into 2026 presidential elections, in which Lula, 80, has said he will seek a fourth term.<\/p>\n
His defense team said they would appeal the detention which “could put his life at risk” due to his alleged frail health.<\/p>\n
Bolsonaro suffers ongoing consequences of a stab wound to the abdomen during a 2018 campaign trail attack and has required several follow-up surgeries.<\/p>\n
During his presidency, Bolsonaro was praised for his handling of the economy but slammed for overseeing record Amazon deforestation and dismissing Covid-19 as a “little flu.”<\/p>\n
He was convicted in September of leading a criminal organization that conspired to ensure his “authoritarian hold on power.” The plot allegedly involved a plan to assassinate Lula, his vice president Geraldo Alckmin, and Moraes.<\/p>\n
ll-jss-fb\/sst\/acb\/sla<\/p>\n
\u00a9 Agence France-Presse<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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