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Brazilian authorities took former President Jair Bolsonaro into federal police custody on Saturday, ending more than 100 days of house arrest as the right-wing leader appeals a 27-year prison sentence for plotting to overthrow the government after his 2022 election loss.
Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the detention hours before a planned prayer vigil outside Bolsonaro's home in Brasilia, citing concerns that the gathering could enable the 70-year-old former army captain to escape. The justice also pointed to evidence that someone had tampered with Bolsonaro's electronic ankle monitor the night before his detention.
"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 court decision, which was reviewed by Reuters.
Federal police representatives confirmed that Bolsonaro underwent custody intake examinations in Brasilia early Saturday morning. The detention came without handcuffs or media exposure, according to accounts of the arrest.
Moraes' order will be submitted to a Supreme Court panel for confirmation on Monday. In his decision, the justice noted that Bolsonaro had previously considered seeking asylum in the Argentine embassy in Brasilia, and that several of the former president's close allies and one of his sons have fled Brazil to avoid prosecution.
Bolsonaro's legal team expressed "deep perplexity" at the detention in a statement, arguing that the planned vigil constituted a prayer gathering protected under Brazil's constitutional guarantee of religious freedom.
"Despite claiming the 'existence of very serious evidence of a possible escape,' the fact is that the former president was arrested at his home, with an electronic ankle monitor and under police surveillance," the lawyers said. They indicated plans to file an appeal against the detention order.
The former president was convicted in September of leading a scheme to prevent leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office in January 2023. Court documents revealed that the plot included plans to assassinate Lula, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, and Moraes himself. Judges determined the coup attempt failed only because it lacked sufficient support from senior military commanders.
Bolsonaro's case has created diplomatic friction between Brazil and the United States. President Donald Trump, who maintained friendly relations with Bolsonaro during their overlapping terms in office, has characterized the prosecution as a "witch hunt." Trump imposed sanctions on Moraes and levied a 50 percent tariff on several Brazilian imports, though he began rolling back those trade measures this month.
While under house arrest, Bolsonaro was prohibited from using social media but received visits from political allies. On Saturday, his son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, issued a call on social media for supporters to gather outside his father's residence that evening.
"I invite you to come fight with us," the senator said in a video posted online. "With your strength, the strength of the people, we'll fight back and rescue Brazil."
Bolsonaro rose from a fringe congressman known for inflammatory statements to win Brazil's presidency in 2018, capitalizing on widespread disgust over corruption scandals that had engulfed leftist governments. His confrontational style and denunciations of the "rotten" left won support from evangelical Christians, security hardliners, and the powerful agribusiness sector.
During his presidency, Bolsonaro drew international criticism as Amazon rainforest fires and deforestation surged while he weakened environmental agencies. His handling of the Covid-19 pandemic proved particularly controversial, as he downplayed the virus as a "little flu," expressed skepticism about vaccines, and promoted unproven treatments. The pandemic ultimately claimed more than 700,000 lives in Brazil, second only to the United States.
The former president was stabbed in the abdomen during a 2018 campaign event, leaving him with severe wounds that have required multiple hospitalizations and surgeries. His lawyers filed a petition Friday requesting permission for him to serve any eventual sentence under house arrest, citing his "deeply debilitated" health linked to complications from the stabbing.
Brazil's electoral court had already banned Bolsonaro from running for office until 2030 after finding him guilty of abusing his position during his 2022 re-election campaign. If his current appeals prove unsuccessful, his defense team is expected to pursue house arrest for the nearly three-decade sentence based on his medical conditions.
On the 2022 campaign trail, Bolsonaro famously declared there were three potential outcomes for his future: "Prison, death or victory." He added that the prison option "does not exist," vowing that he would never be imprisoned.
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