Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was arrested Saturday at his residence in Brasília following an incident involving his court-ordered electronic monitoring device. The arrest was ordered by Brazilian Supreme Federal Tribunal Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who cited concerns about flight risk and threats to public order.
According to official reports from Brazil’s Integrated Electronic Monitoring Center, authorities received a breach alert regarding Bolsonaro’s ankle bracelet around midnight Saturday. When officials arrived at the former president’s home, they discovered the device bore burn marks around its circumference and showed signs of attempted tampering at the locking mechanism.
Bolsonaro, who has been under strict house arrest since August, admitted to police that he used a soldering iron on the monitoring device. In a video statement to Brazilian Prison Administration officials, the former president described his actions matter-of-factly, stating he applied the hot iron “just out of curiosity.”
However, the situation appears more complex than simple curiosity. According to the Supreme Federal Tribunal’s report, Bolsonaro told investigating officers he experienced what he described as “a certain paranoia” after taking two medications prescribed by different physicians. The medications were identified as Pregabalin and Sertraline, with Bolsonaro reportedly beginning one of them approximately four days before the incident.
The former president’s medical team has indicated that Bolsonaro suffered hallucinations and mental confusion as a result of the medications. In his statement to police, Bolsonaro claimed he was “hallucinating” that a listening device had been placed inside the ankle bracelet, which prompted his attempt to open it. He informed authorities that he had taken a soldering course and possessed soldering equipment at his residence.
Justice de Moraes, who ordered the arrest, has himself become a controversial figure in this case. The United States sanctioned him under the Global Magnitsky Act for what American officials characterized as persecution of Bolsonaro and other conservative figures in Brazil.
The arrest comes at a particularly sensitive moment. The Brazilian Supreme Court is expected to issue a final ruling in the coming days regarding where Bolsonaro will serve a 27-year prison sentence for what Brazilian authorities have termed “crimes against democracy.” The former president has been living under what observers describe as near-draconian house arrest conditions since last August.
Notably, Justice de Moraes specified in his arrest order that police should conduct the operation without handcuffs and without media exposure. At present, Bolsonaro remains in custody at the Regional Superintendency of the Federal Police in Brasília.
The monitoring device itself was not permanently damaged, though it required replacement following the incident. Brazilian authorities have emphasized that the breach alert system functioned as designed, detecting the tampering attempt immediately.
This development adds another chapter to the ongoing legal saga surrounding Brazil’s former president, whose supporters maintain he is being subjected to political persecution while his opponents insist he must face accountability for his actions while in office. The case continues to draw international attention, particularly given the American sanctions against the presiding justice and the severity of the sentence Bolsonaro faces.
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