(MENAFN) Brazil’s Supreme Court unanimously confirmed the preemptive arrest of former President Jair Bolsonaro on Monday, following his attempt over the weekend to remove his electronic ankle bracelet using a soldering iron while under house arrest, according to reports.

Bolsonaro, 70, was taken into custody early Saturday and is currently being held at the federal police headquarters in Brasília. He had been under house arrest since August, awaiting the assignment of where he will serve a 27-year prison sentence for his involvement in a failed 2022 coup attempt to remain in office after losing the presidential election to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

A four-member panel of the Supreme Court unanimously approved the continuation of the preemptive detention. Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who issued the initial arrest warrant, cited Bolsonaro as a flight risk and highlighted his violation of judicial restrictions.

In his ruling, Moraes noted that Bolsonaro admitted to tampering with the ankle monitor, calling it "serious foul play, repeated non-compliance with precautionary measures and evident disrespect to the court." Bolsonaro reportedly told an assistant judge on Sunday that a change in his medication for chronic hiccups caused a nervous breakdown and hallucinations, which led to his attempt to remove the device.

Previously, Bolsonaro had been barred from using social media and from receiving unauthorized visitors. The Supreme Court’s First Panel reviewed and unanimously rejected the final appeals of all defendants convicted in the coup case, leaving the sentence nearly final.

The defense retains only limited procedural options that challenge potential omissions or ambiguities in the ruling rather than the verdict itself, which are expected to be swiftly dismissed by Justice Moraes. Once these motions are formally rejected, the court is expected to order Bolsonaro and the six other convicted individuals to begin serving their sentences.

MENAFN25112025000045017640ID1110394894