Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro was taken into custody on Saturday after allegedly tampering with his ankle monitor, ending months of house arrest while he appeals his conviction for plotting a coup following the 2022 election. Federal police arrested him in Brasília, citing flight risk after discovering burn marks on the device, which Bolsonaro later admitted were caused by a soldering iron.
The detention marks a dramatic escalation in the legal troubles facing the far-right former leader, who has been battling a series of criminal cases since losing the presidency to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered Bolsonaro’s pre-emptive detention, arguing that a planned candlelight prayer vigil outside the former president’s home risked obstructing police monitoring.
“The tumult caused by an illegal gathering of the convict’s supporters has a strong chance of putting at risk the house arrest and other precautionary measures, allowing for his eventual escape,” Moraes wrote in his decision, seen by Reuters.
Bolsonaro’s lawyers called the arrest “deeply perplexing,” insisting the prayer vigil was protected under Brazil’s constitutional guarantee of religious freedom. They vowed to appeal the order.
Moraes also referenced evidence suggesting Bolsonaro had previously considered seeking asylum in the Argentine embassy in Brasília. Several of his close allies, including his son Eduardo Bolsonaro, have left Brazil to avoid potential prosecution.
A Supreme Court panel is expected to review the detention order on Monday.
Bolsonaro was sentenced in September to 27 years and three months in prison for attempting to overturn the 2022 election and prevent Lula from assuming office. Although he was identified as the leader and primary beneficiary of the alleged scheme, the final arrest warrant in the case has not yet been executed as his appeal is ongoing.
For now, the former president is held in a 12-square-metre cell in federal police headquarters, equipped with a single bed, television, air-conditioning, and a bathroom.
His house arrest stemmed from a separate case involving allegedly courting US interference in an attempt to derail investigations against him.
The case has drawn intense attention in Washington. President Donald Trump—an ally of Bolsonaro—earlier this year imposed punitive tariffs on Brazilian goods and sanctioned Justice Moraes, calling the charges a “witch hunt.” He has recently begun rolling back the tariffs.
Speaking to reporters after news of the detention broke, Trump appeared unaware of Bolsonaro’s arrest. “Is that what happened? That’s too bad,” he said, adding that he spoke with Lula a day earlier and would meet him soon.
But the US Deputy Secretary of State, Christopher Landau, struck a far more critical tone, accusing Moraes of threatening Brazil’s democratic stability.
“There is nothing more dangerous to democracy than a judge who knows no limits on his power,” Landau posted on X.
Despite restrictions barring Bolsonaro from using social media, his political network remains active. His son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, had rallied supporters to gather outside the family’s condominium.
“I invite you to come fight with us,” Flavio declared in a video. “With your strength, the strength of the people, we’ll fight back and rescue Brazil.”
Dozens of loyalists gathered on Saturday night, singing evangelical hymns beside a sound truck, as the senator, visibly emotional, stood next to a cardboard cutout of his father.
Bolsonaro’s legal team has argued that his chronic health issues—stemming from a 2018 stabbing—warrant humanitarian house arrest. But following his detention, Justice Moraes swiftly rejected the request.
Bolsonaro, already banned from running for office until 2030 due to electoral misconduct, now faces the possibility of serving nearly three decades in prison if his appeals fail.
The immediate trigger for Saturday’s arrest was the damage to Bolsonaro’s ankle monitor. Police received an alert shortly after midnight and arrived at his home to find burn marks on the device.
In a video released with judicial approval, Bolsonaro admits to using a soldering iron on the monitor, calling the act “curiosity.”
Police replaced the device, but Moraes ordered his arrest soon after. Bolsonaro’s defence team has 24 hours to explain the breach to the Supreme Court.
Melissa Enoch
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