SAO PAULO — Federal police arrested former president Jair Bolsonaro early Saturday in Brasilia on suspicion he planned to flee ahead of starting a 27-year prison sentence tied to a coup attempt. Agents executed an order from Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes and took Bolsonaro, 70, from his home to the federal police headquarters.
De Moraes said Bolsonaro’s court-ordered ankle monitor was tampered with at 12:08 a.m., a claim Bolsonaro’s lawyers deny. The former president had been under house arrest and ordered to wear the device after being deemed a flight risk. An aide said the arrest occurred at about 6 a.m.
The justice described the detention as a preventive step linked to a demonstration planned by Bolsonaro’s son, Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro. Flávio posted a video urging supporters to gather outside his father’s home at 7 p.m., saying, “I invite you to fight with us.” De Moraes said the alleged attempt to disable the monitor combined with the planned demonstration increased the risk that Bolsonaro could flee amid confusion, possibly to the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia, about 13 kilometers from his residence.
Investigators previously reported a link between Bolsonaro and an asylum request to Argentina, whose president, political ally Javier Milei, has been mentioned in the matter. Bolsonaro’s lawyers described the arrest as puzzling and argued the timeline indicated a prayer vigil rather than 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 prison terms in custody, although his legal team had sought continued house confinement on health grounds.
Only a small number of supporters were reported near the federal police building Saturday morning. Organizers said the vigil would later move to the jail location and larger gatherings were planned in major cities.
De Moraes criticized Flávio Bolsonaro’s video as encouraging disregard for constitutional and judicial decisions and said it formed part of an effort by a criminal organization to foment chaos. Prosecutors allege Bolsonaro and allies tried to overturn Brazil’s democratic order after his 2022 election loss to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva; the case included allegations of plans to kill 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 working. Party whip Sóstenes Cavalcante accused de Moraes of extreme behavior and pledged a response. Former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro told supporters they “will not give up on our nation.” President Lula was in South Africa for a G20 summit; a government minister said the arrest followed Bolsonaro’s violent attempts to pressure Supreme Court justices.
Analysts say the move reshapes the political terrain ahead of 2026. Creomar de Souza of Dharma Political Risk and Strategy said Bolsonaro’s camp had planned to make the next election a referendum on him and to use a narrative of martyrdom, but the family will now need to build an alternative leadership for 2026 rather than rely on Jair Bolsonaro as the central figure.