Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro was apprehended by federal police on Saturday before a planned gathering of supporters near his residence, marking the end of his house arrest while appealing a conviction by the Supreme Court for involvement in a coup plot.
Celso Vilardi, Bolsonaro’s lawyer, confirmed the arrest without providing a specific reason. A federal police spokesperson mentioned that Bolsonaro underwent initial assessments in Brasilia on Saturday morning.
The detention was ordered by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes due to concerns that the presence of Bolsonaro’s supporters could impede police surveillance of his house arrest. Moraes also cited evidence of tampering with the ex-president’s ankle monitor the previous night.
In his decision issued on Saturday, Moraes expressed worries that an unauthorized assembly of Bolsonaro’s followers could jeopardize the house arrest and other precautionary measures, potentially facilitating an escape. The judge referenced indications that Bolsonaro had contemplated seeking refuge at the Argentine Embassy in Brasilia. Additionally, Moraes highlighted that some of Bolsonaro’s associates, including one of his sons, had fled Brazil to evade legal repercussions.
Another attorney representing Bolsonaro declined to comment immediately on the court’s ruling. The right-wing former president was sentenced in September to over 27 years in prison for orchestrating a coup subsequent to his defeat in the 2022 election to leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Bolsonaro was identified as the mastermind behind a plot aimed at preventing Lula from assuming office in 2023. Despite this conviction, there has not been a final arrest order issued in that case as Bolsonaro’s legal options have not been exhausted.
Under strict house arrest for more than 100 days due to alleged violations of precautionary measures related to a separate case involving purported efforts to solicit U.S. intervention to halt legal proceedings against him, Bolsonaro was restricted from using social media but received visits from political allies.
Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, his son, rallied supporters through social media to gather outside his father’s residence in Brasilia on Saturday evening, urging them to join the cause to “rescue Brazil.”
If Bolsonaro’s appeals prove unsuccessful, his defense team is anticipated to request permission for him to serve his lengthy sentence under house arrest, citing various health complications. Bolsonaro, who survived a stabbing incident during a campaign event in 2018, has a medical history that includes hospitalizations and surgeries stemming from the attack.
Moreover, 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 abusing his authority during his 2022 reelection campaign.