Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro was taken into federal police custody on Saturday before a planned supporters’ vigil near his home, ending months of house arrest as he appeals a Supreme Court conviction for plotting a coup.
Bolsonaro’s attorney Celso Vilardi confirmed the detention but did not cite a reason. A federal police representative said Bolsonaro underwent custody intake examinations in Brasilia early on Saturday.
Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the detention in a court decision, seen by Reuters, citing the risk of encamped supporters hampering police monitoring of Bolsonaro’s house arrest. He also noted evidence of tampering with the ex-president’s ankle monitor the night before.
“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,” wrote Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes in his decision ordering the detention on Saturday.
The judge cited evidence that Bolsonaro had previously considered seeking asylum in the Argentine embassy in Brasilia. One of his sons and other close allies have fled Brazil to avoid the reach of the country’s courts, Moraes noted in his decision.
