Apparently “out of curiosity” Bolsonaro burns ankle bracelet with soldering iron
Former Brazilian President Bolsonaro was sentenced to more than 27 years in prison in September for the attempted coup. The decision is expected to be enforced soon. While under house arrest, she broke her ankle bracelet. This now has consequences.
Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro said he damaged his electronic ankle bracelet with a soldering iron the night before his arrest. “I held a hot iron over it. Out of curiosity,” Bolsonaro told officers examining the device, as seen in a video released by the Supreme Court. When asked if it was an iron, Bolsonaro replied: “No, a soldering iron.” He emphasized that he did not want to take off the ankle bracelet that he had to wear while under house arrest.
In the video, the radio’s plastic casing, which is estimated to be around ten centimeters in size, can be seen charred around Bolsonaro’s ankle. According to the official, the actual device “appears to be intact.”
Bolsonaro has been under house arrest since August for violating a court order. He was arrested Saturday morning on suspicion of “certain flight risks” and “threats to public order.” This is not the execution of his attempted coup sentence, for which he was sentenced to more than 27 years in prison in September. The decision is not final and enforcement is expected to take place next week.
According to investigators, the decision to arrest was based on new findings from the federal police. Shortly after midnight, the ankle bracelet triggered an alarm, indicating an attempt at manipulation. In addition, the former president’s son, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, previously also called for a night vigil in front of his father’s house.
Judges fear Bolsonaro’s escape
According to federal judge Alexandre de Moraes, this tumultuous series of “vigils” could make controlling house arrest more difficult and allow Bolsonaro to escape under the cover of chaos. According to the judge, he may have wanted to flee to the nearest embassy in a favorable country, such as the United States, where he could hide from prosecutors. Moraes then decided to detain Bolsonaro as a precaution.
US President Donald Trump’s administration supports Bolsonaro. The right-wing conservative former president has still not accepted his defeat in the 2022 elections and, the Supreme Court believes, is plotting a coup with military and political allies against the government of his left-leaning successor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Washington accused Brazil’s judiciary of waging a politically motivated campaign against Bolsonaro.
Following Bolsonaro’s arrest, US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau described nationally known judge Moraes as a “human rights violator” who had embarrassed the Supreme Court with his “provocative” actions. “The United States is deeply concerned by its latest attacks on the rule of law and political stability in Brazil,” Landau wrote in X.
Bolsonaro’s lawyer, Paulo Cunha Bueno, did not provide an explanation for the damage to the ankle bracelet. “Prayer Prayer” is protected by the constitution as a religious event, he stressed. Despite published evidence from the Supreme Court and Bolsonaro’s statements about using a soldering iron, the lawyer spoke of a distorted image of a judiciary that is “intended to justify the unjustifiable.”
