Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro has admitted to damaging his electronic ankle monitor with a soldering iron, reportedly 'out of curiosity', after being arrested on suspicion of planning to flee. The 70-year-old far-right politician was taken into custody by federal police on Saturday morning following a preventive arrest warrant issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.
Video released by the court shows Bolsonaro confessing to a security official that he tampered with the black device. The ankle tag was badly burned on both sides but remained attached. The tampering occurred at 12:08am on Saturday, hours before his arrest at his villa in Brasília.
Bolsonaro, who has been under house arrest since August, was sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison in September for masterminding a military coup to prevent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from taking office after the 2022 election. However, he has not yet been imprisoned pending appeals. Justice Moraes cited fears that Bolsonaro might seek refuge in a foreign embassy, noting his proximity to the US embassy and past stays at the Hungarian embassy.
Bolsonaro's son, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, had called for a 'vigil' outside the ex-president's condominium on Saturday night, which Moraes suggested could have been a diversion to aid an escape. In his ruling, Moraes said the tampering indicated the convict planned to break the monitor to ensure a successful escape amid the protest.
Reactions have been divided. Workers' Party congressman Reimont Otoni said the arrest showed 'crime doesn't pay', while Bolsonaro's wife, Michelle, posted a psalm on social media. Congressman Sóstenes Cavalcante called the arrest 'the biggest political persecution in Brazilian history'. Bolsonaro's lawyers expressed 'profound perplexity' at his detention in a 12-square-metre police cell, vowing to appeal on health grounds.
