Brazil's former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after tampering with his electronic ankle monitor, which he claimed he did 'out of curiosity'. The 70-year-old was taken into custody by federal police early on Saturday morning following a preventive arrest warrant issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who cited fears Bolsonaro might flee to a foreign embassy.
A video released by the supreme court shows Bolsonaro admitting to a security official that he used a soldering iron on the device, which was found badly damaged and burned on both sides but still attached to his ankle. The tampering occurred at 12:08am on Saturday, leading Moraes to conclude that Bolsonaro had planned to break the monitor to facilitate an escape, possibly aided by a protest called by his son, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro had been under house arrest since August, following his September sentence of 27 years and three months in prison for masterminding a military coup to prevent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from taking office after the 2022 election. However, the court had not yet ordered his imprisonment pending appeals. Supporters had planned a 'vigil' outside his condominium on Saturday night, which Moraes said could have been used as a diversion.
Moraes noted that Bolsonaro lived about 15 minutes from the US embassy and had previously sought asylum in Argentina and spent two nights at the Hungarian embassy in 2024. The arrest was met with outrage from Bolsonaro's allies, with Congressman Sóstenes Cavalcante calling it 'the biggest political persecution in Brazilian history'. His lawyers expressed 'profound perplexity' and vowed to appeal, citing his 'delicate' health.
In contrast, Lula supporters celebrated the arrest. Congressman Reimont Otoni said, 'The message to Brazil, and to the world, is that crime doesn't pay', noting the plot included a conspiracy to assassinate Lula. Left-wing Congresswoman Talíria Petrone captured the joy among progressives, as fireworks were set off outside the federal police headquarters.
