SAO PAULO — Brazil’s federal police arrested former president Jair Bolsonaro early Saturday on suspicion he was plotting to escape and avoid beginning a 27-year prison sentence for leading a coup attempt.
Federal agents entered Bolsonaro’s home in Brasilia under an order from Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes and took him to the federal police headquarters. De Moraes, who oversaw the case, said Bolsonaro’s court-ordered ankle monitor was tampered with at 12:08 a.m., a claim Bolsonaro’s lawyers denied. Bolsonaro, 70, had been under house arrest and was ordered to wear the device after being deemed a flight risk. An aide confirmed the arrest occurred around 6 a.m.
De Moraes described the arrest as a preventive measure tied to a protest planned by Bolsonaro’s son, Flávio, later Saturday. Flávio released a video urging supporters to gather outside his father’s house at 7 p.m., saying, “I invite you to fight with us.” The justice said the attempted disabling of the monitor and the planned demonstration raised the risk Bolsonaro could flee amid the ensuing confusion, possibly to the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia; he noted Bolsonaro’s residence lies roughly 13 kilometers from the embassy.
Earlier federal police findings linked Bolsonaro to an asylum request to Argentina, where ally Javier Milei is president. Bolsonaro’s lawyers called the arrest perplexing and said the judge’s timeline indicated a prayer vigil, not a protest. The preemptive detention will be reviewed Monday by the five-justice Supreme Court panel that convicted and sentenced him by a 4-1 vote in September.
Local reports said Bolsonaro was expected to begin serving his sentence next week once appeals were exhausted; Brazilian law requires convicts to start their sentences in prison, though his lawyers had sought continued house confinement citing poor health. Few protesters were near the federal police building Saturday morning, with organizers saying the vigil would move to the jail location later. Supporters planned larger gatherings in major cities.
De Moraes criticized a video by Flávio Bolsonaro as encouraging disrespect for constitutional and judicial decisions and described it as part of an effort by a criminal organization to foment chaos. Prosecutors say Bolsonaro and several allies attempted to overthrow Brazil’s democracy after his 2022 election defeat to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva; the case alleged plans included killing Lula, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and de Moraes. Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading an armed criminal organization and attempting the violent abolition of democratic rule; he denies wrongdoing.
Allies condemned the arrest. Former press adviser Fabio Wajngarten called it “a terrible stain on the institutions” and said the ankle monitor was functioning normally. Sóstenes Cavalcante, Bolsonaro’s party whip, attacked de Moraes as showing “psychopathy at the highest level” and vowed to respond. Michelle Bolsonaro, the former first lady, promised supporters “will not give up on our nation.” President Lula was in South Africa for a G20 summit; one of his ministers said the arrest followed Bolsonaro’s violent attempts to coerce Supreme Court justices.
Political analysts say the move will affect the 2026 presidential race. Creomar de Souza of Dharma Political Risk and Strategy said Bolsonaro’s camp had aimed to turn the 2026 election into a referendum on him, crafting an image of martyrdom. De Souza added the developments show the Bolsonaro family will need to build an alternative for 2026 rather than relying on Jair Bolsonaro as their rallying figure.