Brazilian authorities took former president Jair Bolsonaro into custody early Saturday, saying he tried to tamper with his electronic ankle monitor just days before he was expected to begin serving a nearly three-decade prison sentence for attempting to overturn the 2022 election.
Federal police detained the 70-year-old at his home in Brasilia during the pre-dawn hours.
Bolsonaro has been under house arrest since September, when the Supreme Court handed down a 27-year, three-month sentence for plotting a coup. Officials said the attempted interference with his monitoring device triggered an immediate emergency response, reports GB News.
In a ruling issued Saturday, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes called Bolsonaro a “high flight risk,” noting that the monitoring device showed signs of tampering at 12:08 am. The decision emphasized that weekend rulings are unusual and reserved for situations that pose serious security concerns.
Justice Moraes also pointed to plans for a vigil by Bolsonaro supporters near the residence, saying such demonstrations could have created confusion and made it harder for police to maintain constant supervision. “That information shows the intent of the convict to break the ankle monitoring to assure his escape is successful,” he wrote.
Investigators believe Bolsonaro may have been attempting to reach a foreign embassy. The ruling referenced prior intelligence suggesting he had considered seeking asylum at the Argentine embassy in Brasilia, and noted his home sits roughly eight miles from the US embassy.
The court said this wasn’t speculation but part of a “history of planning to seek asylum through a diplomatic representation.” The judge said such a move would complicate efforts to enforce the sentence and could plunge the government into a diplomatic standoff.
Federal police detained the 70-year-old at his home in Brasilia during the pre-dawn hours.
Bolsonaro has been under house arrest since September, when the Supreme Court handed down a 27-year, three-month sentence for plotting a coup. Officials said the attempted interference with his monitoring device triggered an immediate emergency response, reports GB News.
In a ruling issued Saturday, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes called Bolsonaro a “high flight risk,” noting that the monitoring device showed signs of tampering at 12:08 am. The decision emphasized that weekend rulings are unusual and reserved for situations that pose serious security concerns.
Justice Moraes also pointed to plans for a vigil by Bolsonaro supporters near the residence, saying such demonstrations could have created confusion and made it harder for police to maintain constant supervision. “That information shows the intent of the convict to break the ankle monitoring to assure his escape is successful,” he wrote.
Investigators believe Bolsonaro may have been attempting to reach a foreign embassy. The ruling referenced prior intelligence suggesting he had considered seeking asylum at the Argentine embassy in Brasilia, and noted his home sits roughly eight miles from the US embassy.
The court said this wasn’t speculation but part of a “history of planning to seek asylum through a diplomatic representation.” The judge said such a move would complicate efforts to enforce the sentence and could plunge the government into a diplomatic standoff.
