SAO PAULO — Brazil's Supreme Court ordered the preemptive arrest of former President Jair Bolsonaro on Saturday, with a judge claiming he was intent on escaping just days before he was set to begin his 27-year prison sentence for leading a coup attempt.
The 70-year-old politician was taken to the headquarters of the country's federal police in the capital, Brasilia, from his house arrest.
Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversaw the case, said in his ruling that Bolsonaro's ankle monitor, which he has worn since July 18 for being deemed a flight risk, was violated at 0:08 a.m of Saturday.
"That information shows the intent of the convict to break the ankle monitoring to assure his escape is successful, which would be made easier by the confusion that would be caused by a demonstration organized by his son," the justice said.
He said there was a chance of Bolsonaro fleeing to embassies in his neighborhood to request political asylum. The Supreme Court justice also mentioned other defendants in the coup case and political allies of the former president leaving Brazil to avoid jail.
The Supreme Court panel hearing Bolsonaro's case will vote on De Moraes' order in an extraordinary session Monday.
De Moraes said Bolsonaro's arrest "should be made with all respect to the dignity of former President Jair Messias Bolsonaro, without the use of handcuffs and without any media exposition."
Bolsonaro's aide Andriely Cirino confirmed to The Associated Press that the arrest took place around 6 a.m. on Saturday, only hours after de Moraes made the unexpected decision.
The former president was taken from his house in a gated community in the upscale Jardim Botanico neighborhood to the federal police headquarters, Cirino said.
De Moraes mentioned in his ruling a video published this week by Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, one of the former president's sons, in which he egged on supporters to take to the streets in his father's defense.
"The video shot by Flávio Bolsonaro stimulates the disrespect to the constitutional text, to the judicial decision and to (democratic) institutions, showing there's no limits for the criminal organization in its attempt to create chaos and conflict in this country, in a total disrespect to democracy," de Moraes wrote.
"Brazil's democracy has reached sufficient maturity to steer away and prosecute pathetic illegal initiatives to defend the criminal organization that is responsible for a coup d'etat attempt in Brazil," he added.
Bolsonaro's allies vow to defend him
Some of Bolsonaro's supporters, who claim he is being politically persecuted, are expected to rally outside the federal police headquarters throughout the weekend.
Sóstenes Cavalcante, leader of Bolsonaro's party in the lower house, said in a video shared with The Associated Press that the former president is innocent and accused de Moraes of showing "psychopathy at the highest level."
"We will always stand by your side. Stay strong," he said, addressing Bolsonaro. "We will respond appropriately."
Former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro vowed on social media that they "will not give up on our nation."
"I believe in God's justice. Human justice, as we have seen, can't hold anymore," she wrote on Instagram.
Fabio Wajngarten, Bolsonaro's former press adviser and lawyer, called the decision to arrest him "a terrible stain on the institutions" in a video posted on X. "It's a shame. I hope this is reviewed soon," he said.
He also claimed that Bolsonaro's ankle monitoring device was working perfectly as of Saturday morning. "How could something that was broken, violated, be functioning normally nine hours later?" he wrote.
"The president had dinner — a soup — yesterday with four brothers and brothers-in-law, took medication for hiccups, felt drowsy and lay down around 10 p.m. None of his sons were at the house."
Renato Bolsonaro, the former president's brother, also criticized the arrest, saying an Instagram video: "So we can't even gather to cry out for justice or pray for our president? Do they want to take away our right to express ourselves?"
A divisive figure in Brazil's politics
Bolsonaro was placed under house arrest in early August, weeks before he was convicted in his coup trial. His lawyers were pleading with Brazil's Supreme Court to keep him at home to serve his sentence, citing his poor health.
Local media reported that Bolsonaro, who was Brazil's president from 2019 to 2022, was expected to begin serving his sentence sometime next week after the far-right leader exhausted all appeals of his conviction for leading a coup attempt.
Saturday's preemptive arrest does not mean Bolsonaro will remain at the federal police headquarters to serve his sentence. Brazilian law requires that all convicts start their sentences in prison.
The former president and several of his allies were convicted by a panel of Supreme Court justices for attempting to overthrow Brazil's democracy following his 2022 election loss to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Prosecutors said the coup plot included plans to kill Lula and to encourage an insurrection in early 2023.
Bolsonaro was also found guilty on charges of leading an armed criminal organization and attempting the violent abolition of the democratic rule of law. Bolsonaro has denied wrongdoing.
He remains a key figure in Brazilian politics, despite being ineligible to run again at least until 2030, after a separate ruling by Brazil's top electoral court. Polls show he would be a strong candidate in next year's vote if allowed to run.
Bolsonaro is an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has called his trial a "witch hunt." Bolsonaro was mentioned in a July order by the U.S. administration raising tariffs on several Brazilian exports by 50%. Trump on Friday dropped most of the higher tariffs on Brazilian exports.
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