Bolsonaro Arrested Over Flight Risk

“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 organised by his son,” the judge said.

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.

Michelle Bolsonaro, the former first lady, wrote on social media: “I trust in the Lord”, while Celso Vilardi, one of Bolsonaro’s lawyers, earlier said: “He has been imprisoned, but I don’t know why.”

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 pm. None of his sons was at the house.”

Renato Bolsonaro, the former president’s brother, also criticised the arrest, saying in 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?”