Brasilia [Brazil], November 23: Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who is under house arrest, was arrested on November 22 on suspicion of using a welding machine to try to break a GPS tracking bracelet in order to escape.
A Brazilian court released a video on November 22 showing Mr. Bolsonaro apparently confessing to using a welding machine to destroy the tracking ring. According to The Guardian , Mr. Bolsonaro admitted that he tried to damage the tracking ring "out of curiosity."
The video shows the device badly damaged and burned on both sides, but still attached to Mr. Bolsonaro's ankle. The tracking bracelet is a device typically worn on the ankles of people under house arrest so that authorities can monitor them and ensure they do not escape.
Brazilian federal police arrested Mr. Bolsonaro on the morning of November 22 local time, after the country's Supreme Court issued an arrest warrant, on suspicion that the former president planned to flee to a foreign embassy.
Former President Bolsonaro has been under house arrest since August awaiting trial. In September, a court sentenced him to 27 years and three months in prison for plotting a coup after losing the 2022 presidential election . The court has not yet issued an execution order for Bolsonaro, pending appeals proceedings.
Before the suspected GPS break-in incident occurred, many supporters of Mr. Bolsonaro gathered in front of the place where he was under house arrest in the capital Brasilia (Brazil).
In his ruling on November 22, Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the gathering could have been used as a distraction to allow Mr Bolsonaro to escape to the embassy. "The prisoner had planned to break the tracking device on his ankle to ensure his escape, aided by the chaos caused by the protest called by his son," the ruling said.
Reuters reported on November 23 that Mr. Bolsonaro is currently being held at the Brazilian Federal Police headquarters in Brasilia, in a 12 m2 room with a bed, TV, air conditioning and bathroom. Media reported that Mr. Bolsonaro could officially begin serving his prison sentence in the next few days.
US President Donald Trump said on November 22 that he had no information about Mr. Bolsonaro's arrest. "Did that happen? That's too bad," Mr. Trump said. He said he had just spoken with current Brazilian President Lula da Silva and that there would be a bilateral meeting between the two leaders soon.
Source: Thanh Nieu Newspaper
