Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro was arrested by federal police on Saturday before a planned gathering of his supporters near his residence, marking the end of his house arrest period while he appealed a Supreme Court conviction for plotting a coup. Bolsonaro’s lawyer, Celso Vilardi, confirmed the arrest without providing a specific reason. A federal police spokesperson mentioned that Bolsonaro underwent initial procedures in Brasilia on Saturday morning.
Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes issued the arrest order in response to concerns that Bolsonaro’s supporters camping near his residence could obstruct police supervision of his house arrest. Moraes also highlighted evidence of tampering with Bolsonaro’s ankle monitor the previous night. In his ruling, Moraes expressed the potential risk posed by an unlawful gathering of Bolsonaro’s supporters, which could jeopardize the house arrest arrangements and potentially lead to his escape.
The judge referred to indications that Bolsonaro had contemplated seeking asylum at the Argentine Embassy in Brasilia. Notably, one of his sons and other close associates have fled Brazil to evade legal consequences, as noted in Moraes’ decision. Another attorney representing Bolsonaro declined to comment immediately on the court’s ruling.
Following his defeat in the 2022 election to leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison for his involvement in a coup plot. Despite being identified as the central figure in a scheme to prevent Lula from assuming office in 2023, Bolsonaro has not yet received a final arrest warrant in that case due to pending appeals.
Bolsonaro has been under strict house arrest for over 100 days for breaching precautionary measures related to a separate case involving alleged solicitation of U.S. intervention to impede legal proceedings against him. Former U.S. President Donald Trump, a previous ally of Bolsonaro, criticized the case as a “witch hunt” and imposed sanctions on Justice Moraes, as well as a 50% tariff on specific Brazilian imports, which he recently began to reduce.
During his house arrest, Bolsonaro was prohibited from using social media but received visits from political supporters. His son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, urged supporters via social media to gather outside his father’s residence in Brasilia on Saturday evening, calling for a collective effort to defend and restore Brazil.
If Bolsonaro’s appeals prove unsuccessful, his defense team is likely to request permission for him to serve his lengthy sentence under house arrest due to various health concerns. The former president, who survived a stabbing incident during a 2018 campaign rally, has a medical history of hospitalizations and surgeries linked to the attack.
Bolsonaro had previously been banned from running for public office until 2030 following a finding by Brazil’s electoral court that he had misused his position during the 2022 re-election campaign.
