Brazil’s ex-president Bolsonaro detained by police
Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro has been detained by police, ending months of house arrest while he appeals his conviction for attacks on the country’s democracy.
Bolsonaro’s lawyer, Celso Vilardi, confirmed his arrest but did not specify the reason for the detention.
A person familiar with the matter said it was a preventative measure regarding the terms of Bolsonaro’s house arrest.
A federal police representative said Bolsonaro took entrance exams in Brasilia on Saturday morning.
The former right-wing leader was sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison in September for plotting a coup to stay in power after losing the 2022 election to leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Bolsonaro has been identified as the leader and main beneficiary of the plan to prevent Lula from taking office in 2023.
However, the courts have still not issued a final arrest warrant in this case because Bolsonaro has not completed the appeal process.
Bolsonaro has been under strict house arrest for more than 100 days for violating injunctions in a separate case for allegedly seeking US intervention to stop the criminal case against him.
US President Donald Trump, who had friendly relations with Bolsonaro while both were in office, called the case a “witch hunt”.
It imposed sanctions on Moraes and the judiciary that oversees him, and imposed a 50 percent tariff on U.S. imports of many Brazilian goods, which it began buying back in November.
While under house arrest, Bolsonaro was banned from using social media but was visited by political allies.
His defense is expected to ask for permission to serve his sentence under house arrest due to various health problems.
The former president, who was stabbed in the stomach during a campaign event in 2018, has a history of hospitalizations and surgeries related to the attack.
Bolsonaro was banned from running until 2030 after Brazil’s electoral court found him guilty of abusing his power during his 2022 re-election campaign.
