Brazil’s Ex-President Bolsonaro Sent To Prison Over Alleged House Arrest Escape Plot

Brazil’s former president, Jair Bolsonaro, was moved from house arrest into full detention on Saturday after the Supreme Court accused him of attempting to tamper with his ankle monitor and plot an escape.

Bolsonaro, a far-right former army captain, is currently appealing a 27-year prison sentence for orchestrating a scheme to prevent leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from taking office following the 2022 elections.

Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes described the detention as a preventive measure, warning that Bolsonaro posed a “high flight risk” as his appeals wound through the courts.

The former president had been under house arrest since August, restricted to an upscale condominium in Brasília.

In his ruling, Justice Moraes said a planned vigil outside the residence, called by Bolsonaro’s eldest son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro,
was intended to create chaos that could facilitate a potential escape.

“There was an attempt to break the ankle bracelet early Saturday as part of a plan to ensure the success of his escape, aided by confusion from the demonstration,” Moraes wrote.

He also noted the residence’s proximity to the U.S. embassy heightened concerns that Bolsonaro might attempt to seek political asylum in the United States.

Bolsonaro is an ally of President Donald Trump, who has dismissed the Brazilian leader’s legal troubles as a “witch hunt.”

The former Brazilian president has now been transferred to a federal police complex in Brasília, where detainees undergo preliminary medical examinations before assignment to a prison facility.

A source close to the case shared a video with AFP showing the modest room where he will initially be held, furnished with a television, air conditioning, and a mini-fridge.

His damaged ankle monitor has reportedly been sent for forensic analysis.