Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro was arrested at his home in Brasília after authorities detected tampering with his electronic ankle monitor.
The 70-year-old far-right leader, under house arrest since August, faces a 27-year prison sentence for masterminding a failed coup attempt following his 2022 election loss.
He was convicted by the supreme court in September and had been expected to begin serving his term soon after exhausting appeals.
Security officials noticed the ankle tag breach just after midnight on Friday.
By early Saturday, a supreme court judge ordered Bolsonaro’s detention, suspecting he planned to flee to a foreign embassy.
Federal police executed the warraHouse arrest violationins in a small cell equipped with a bed, television, air conditioning, and bathroom.
During a custody hearing on Sunday, Bolsonaro attributed the incident to a "psychotic attack" triggered by medications, including a powerful analgesic and an antidepressant started days earlier.
He claimed the drugs caused paranoia, leading him to hallucinate a listening device in the monitor, which he damaged with a soldering iron before regaining composure.
Bolsonaro denied any intent to escape or remove the device fully, stating he acted alone while others in the house — his daughter, older brother, and an adviser — were asleep.
The judge upheld his detention, confirming legal procedures were followed.
Skepticism arose from political observers and foes, citing a video where Bolsonaro admitted interfering "out of curiosity."
Bolsonaro’s supporters had anticipated aid from former U.S. President Donald Trump, who imposed 50% tariffs on Brazilian goods and sanctioned senior officials in response to what he termed a "witch-hunt."
However, after meeting Brazil’s current president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the UN in September, Trump described Lula as "a very nice man" and rolled back tariffs on items like beef and coffee last Thursday.
Upon learning of the arrest, Trump remarked, "That’s too bad."
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau criticized the "provocative and unnecessary incarceration," though no further U.S. retaliation emerged immediately.
Bolsonaro had previously spent two nights in the Hungarian embassy in 2024 for unclear reasons.
He is expected to receive visits from his wife, Michelle Bolsonaro, and others while detained.