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Bolsonaro transferred to detention after ankle monitor incident
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was moved from house arrest to police custody in Brasília on Monday, one day after officials accused him of tampering with his court-mandated ankle monitor. The 70-year-old right-wing politician claimed during a hearing that "paranoia" triggered by medication led him to attempt removing the device with a soldering iron on Friday, according to court documents. He insisted he had no plans to flee.
Flight risk concerns prompt detention
Authorities justified the transfer by citing concerns Bolsonaro might evade justice ahead of a planned supporters' vigil outside his residence. The move follows his September conviction on charges of orchestrating a failed 2022 coup plot, for which he received a 27-year prison sentence. He remains detained in a Brasília police station pending further proceedings.
Coup conviction and broader fallout
Bolsonaro was found guilty of masterminding a conspiracy to overturn his 2022 election loss to leftist rival Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Supreme Court justices ruled he was aware of plans that included the assassination of Lula and his running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, as well as the arrest and execution of Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversaw the trial. The plot collapsed after military leaders refused to support it.
A week after Lula's January 2023 inauguration, Bolsonaro supporters stormed government buildings in Brasília, an uprising judges linked to his incitement. Roughly 1,500 rioters were arrested. The court also barred Bolsonaro from holding public office until 2060-eight years beyond his prison term's end.
Political and economic repercussions
Bolsonaro's legal troubles have sparked international reactions, including a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, a fellow right-wing populist. Bolsonaro has dismissed the trial as a "witch hunt" intended to sideline him from the 2026 presidential race.
The conspiracy failed to secure military backing, and Lula assumed office without disruption on 1 January 2023.
Brazilian Supreme Court ruling, September 2025
