SAO PAULO — Brazil’s Supreme Court ordered the preemptive arrest of former President Jair Bolsonaro on Saturday, just days before he was set to begin serving a 27-year prison sentence for leading a coup attempt.
The 70-year-old former leader was taken from his home in the upscale Jardim Botânico district to federal police headquarters in Brasília after the court determined he was attempting to flee.
Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversaw the case, said Bolsonaro’s electronic ankle monitor was violated shortly after midnight on Saturday, indicating “the intent of the convict to break the ankle monitoring to assure his escape is successful,” particularly amid confusion expected from a demonstration reportedly planned by his son, Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro.
De Moraes said the former president might have been seeking refuge in a nearby embassy to request political asylum.
He also noted that several allies linked to the coup case have recently left Brazil to avoid imprisonment.
Bolsonaro, who has been under house arrest since early August after being deemed a flight risk, was arrested at around 6 a.m., according to his aide Andriely Cirino.
The order specifies that the arrest must be carried out “with respect to the dignity of former President Jair Messias Bolsonaro, without handcuffs and without media exposure.”
The Supreme Court panel handling Bolsonaro’s case will vote on the arrest order in an extraordinary session on Monday.
Flávio Bolsonaro drew scrutiny this week after posting a video urging supporters to take to the streets in defense of his father, a move the court said sought to provoke unrest. De Moraes condemned the video as encouraging “disrespect to the constitutional text, the judicial decision, and democratic institutions.”
Supporters of Bolsonaro, who insist he is the target of political persecution, vowed to rally outside federal police headquarters. Senior figures in Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party also issued statements defending him, while Michelle Bolsonaro, the former first lady, wrote on social media: “We will not give up on our nation.”
Bolsonaro’s lawyers disputed the claim that the ankle monitor was tampered with, saying it was functioning normally hours after the alleged violation, and described the arrest as a “stain on the institutions.”
The ex-president was convicted of orchestrating a coup attempt following his 2022 electoral defeat to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Prosecutors said the plot involved plans to kill Lula and encourage an insurrection in early 2023.
Bolsonaro also faces convictions for leading an armed criminal organization and attempting to dismantle the democratic rule of law. He denies the charges.
Despite being barred from running for office until 2030 due to a separate ruling, Bolsonaro remains a deeply influential figure in Brazilian politics, with polls suggesting he would be a competitive candidate if allowed to run.
Bolsonaro, a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, has frequently claimed political persecution. Trump, who previously referred to the case as a “witch hunt,” recently reversed most of the tariff increases his administration had imposed on Brazilian exports. — Agencies
