Brazil’s political landscape was thrown into fresh turmoil on Saturday as former president Jair Bolsonaro was arrested in Brasilia, accused of plotting to evade the start of a 27-year prison sentence handed down for leading a failed coup attempt. The dramatic preemptive arrest, ordered by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, marks a stunning chapter in the ongoing saga of Brazil’s battle to defend its democracy following the contentious 2022 election.
Bolsonaro, 70, had been under house arrest and required to wear an ankle monitor after being deemed a flight risk. According to the Associated Press, the Supreme Court’s order came after the device was found to have been violated at 12:08 a.m. on November 23, 2025. The former president was taken from his home in the upscale Jardim Botanico neighborhood to the headquarters of the federal police in the nation’s capital at around 6 a.m., confirmed by his aide Andriely Cirino.
Justice de Moraes, who has overseen the high-profile case, cited a video posted by Bolsonaro’s son urging supporters to protest outside the property where his father was staying on the very day of the arrest. In his ruling, de Moraes argued that “information shows the intent of the convict to break the ankle monitoring to assure his escape is successful, which would be made easier by the confusion that would be caused by a demonstration organized by his son.”
The judge’s concerns were not unfounded. He noted that Bolsonaro’s residence was just 13 kilometers—about an eight-mile, 15-minute drive—from the United States embassy in Brasilia, raising the specter that the former president might attempt to seek refuge there. This anxiety was heightened by federal police findings from August, which linked Bolsonaro to a political asylum request to Argentina, where his ally Javier Milei now serves as president.
Bolsonaro’s arrest is the latest and most dramatic twist in a legal battle that has gripped Brazil since his defeat to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in 2022. After losing the election, Bolsonaro and several allies were convicted by a Supreme Court panel—by a vote of four to one in September—for attempting to overthrow Brazil’s democracy. The charges included leading an armed criminal organization and attempting the violent abolition of the democratic rule of law. Prosecutors went so far as to claim that the coup plot included plans to assassinate Lula, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, and Justice de Moraes himself.
Despite the gravity of the charges and the sentence, Bolsonaro has steadfastly denied any wrongdoing. He is the first former president in Latin America’s largest economy to be found guilty of attempting to overturn an election—a fact that has reverberated through the region and beyond, according to AP reporting.
The Supreme Court panel that convicted Bolsonaro is set to vote on de Moraes’ arrest order in an extraordinary session scheduled for Monday, November 24. Local media have reported that Bolsonaro was expected to begin serving his sentence sometime next week, once all appeals are exhausted. His lawyers had pleaded with the court to allow him to serve his sentence under house arrest, citing his poor health. However, Brazilian law requires that all convicts start their sentences in prison, regardless of their status or health concerns.
Justice de Moraes, in an apparent nod to the former president’s stature, specified that the arrest “should be made with all respect to the dignity of former President Jair Messias Bolsonaro, without the use of handcuffs and without any media exposition.” True to this directive, Bolsonaro was quietly taken from his home, and as of Saturday morning, no protesters had gathered outside the federal police headquarters. In contrast, detractors of the former president celebrated online and organized parties in major Brazilian cities, underscoring the deep divisions that continue to define the country’s political climate.
The judge’s ruling also referenced the video by Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, one of the ex-president’s sons, which called on supporters to take to the streets. “The video shot by Flávio Bolsonaro stimulates the disrespect to the constitutional text, to the judicial decision and to (democratic) institutions, showing there’s no limits for the criminal organization in its attempt to create chaos and conflict in this country, in a total disrespect to democracy,” de Moraes wrote. “Brazil’s democracy has reached sufficient maturity to steer away and prosecute pathetic illegal initiatives to defend the criminal organization that is responsible for a coup d’etat attempt in Brazil.”
Bolsonaro’s supporters have responded with outrage and defiance. Fabio Wajngarten, the former president’s press adviser and lawyer, described the arrest as “a terrible stain on the institutions.” In a video posted on X, Wajngarten said, “It’s a shame. I hope this is reviewed soon.” He also insisted that Bolsonaro’s ankle monitoring device was functioning normally as of Saturday morning, asking, “How could something that was broken, violated, be functioning normally nine hours later?” He added, “The president had dinner — a soup — yesterday with four brothers and brothers-in-law, took medication for hiccups, felt drowsy and laid down around 10 p.m. None of his sons were at the house.”
Other allies were equally vocal. Sóstenes Cavalcante, Bolsonaro’s party whip in the lower house, accused de Moraes of “psychopathy at the highest level” and declared, “We will always stand by your side. Stay strong. We will respond appropriately.” Meanwhile, Michelle Bolsonaro, the former first lady, took to Instagram to vow that Bolsonaro’s supporters “will not give up on our nation,” adding, “I believe in God’s justice. Human justice, as we have seen, can’t hold anymore.” She was reportedly outside Brasilia when her husband was arrested.
The political implications of Bolsonaro’s arrest are far-reaching. Creomar de Souza, a political analyst with Dharma Political Risk and Strategy, told the AP that the move would have a significant impact on the 2026 presidential election. With Lula seeking reelection and Bolsonaro barred from running, de Souza observed, “They had the idea of turning the 2026 election into a referendum on Bolsonaro. And for that to happen they needed actions, they needed to build an optics of Bolsonaro as a martyr and an impactful popular leader. At the end of the day, this shows the Bolsonaro family they will need to build their own alternative for the 2026 elections.”
As the Supreme Court prepares to review the arrest order and the nation braces for the next phase of this legal and political drama, Brazil stands at a crossroads. The outcome will not only shape the fate of its former president but also test the resilience of its democratic institutions and the future direction of its politics.
