Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro arrested after attempting to break his ankle monitor

SAO PAULO(Brazil): Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro was taken into custody after the Supreme Court ruled that he posed a high risk of fleeing the country, France 24 reported.

The 70-year-old former leader, who is currently under house arrest, was accused of trying to break his electronic ankle monitor he has been wearing since August.

The court said Bolsonaro used a soldering iron on the device in an attempt to escape, noting that he had become a “high flight risk.”

Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes described the arrest on Saturday as a preventive step as Bolsonaro’s appeals continue.

A video made public by the court showed the monitoring bracelet burnt and damaged but still strapped to his ankle. In the footage, Bolsonaro admitted he had used the tool on the device out of “curiosity.”

According to France 24, Moraes also cited concerns over a Saturday vigil announced by Bolsonaro’s eldest son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, outside the condominium where the former president had been staying.

He said the gathering risked creating “an environment conducive to his escape.”

Flavio Bolsonaro had urged supporters earlier to “fight for your country.”

Moraes told Bolsonaro’s lawyers to explain the incident within 24 hours.

Reacting to his father’s detention, Flavio warned in a live video that the judiciary would be responsible if anything happened to the former president.

“I don’t know what’s going on inside the Federal Police now. If something happens to my father, Alexandre de Moraes, if my father dies in there, it’s your fault,” he said, while maintaining his call for a vigil, France 24 reported.

In his ruling, Moraes also noted that Bolsonaro’s residence in Brasilia is close to the US embassy, which he said increases the possibility that the former president will seek political asylum.

Bolsonaro, a former army captain and a close ally of US President Donald Trump, has repeatedly denied wrongdoing in the coup attempt case.

Trump has called the proceedings a “witch hunt” and earlier imposed punitive tariffs and sanctions on Brazil over the issue.

On Saturday, Trump said he had spoken to Bolsonaro last night” and planned to meet him in the very near future.”

Bolsonaro has now been transferred to a federal police facility in Brasilia, where detainees undergo standard medical examinations before being moved to prison, according to a source familiar with the case, France 24 reported. (ANI)