Former Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro was arrested Saturday after a judge deemed him a flight risk following his conviction on charges that he attempted a coup after his 2022 election defeat.

Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered Bolsonaro’s detainment after his eldest son, Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro, called on supporters to stage a vigil in front of the residence where the former leader is under house arrest.

Authorities believed there was a credible threat that Bolsonaro could attempt to seek refuge at a foreign embassy in Brasilia amid “chaos” caused by such a vigil, Moraes wrote in an order.

Bolsonaro was sentenced in September to 27 years and three months in prison for attempting a coup d’état following his loss to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Under house arrest since August, Bolsonaro, 70, was taken into preventive custody by Federal Police and held at its headquarters in Brasilia. He had earlier been ordered to wear an ankle monitor, and concerns over flight risk stemmed from evidence that he had tampered with the device, according to Moraes’ order.

A video attached to the case of Bolsonaro shows his electronic ankle monitor with signs of fire damage. The footage, recorded by the penitentiary administration office of the Federal District, captures Bolsonaro admitting he used a welding torch on the device “out of curiosity.”

Bolsonaro said he began handling the monitor “in the late afternoon.” An alert signaling a violation of the device was registered after midnight on Saturday, according to the integrated monitoring center of the Federal District.

Moraes has given Bolsonaro’s lawyers 24 hours to explain the damages to the ankle monitor.

Bolsonaro spokesman Fabio Wajngarten denied the claims in a social media post, saying “the ankle monitor is currently functioning.” Wajngarten previously denied that Bolsonaro has mulled leaving Brazil when federal authorities accused him of considering a request for political asylum from Argentina ahead of the trial.

“The fact is that the former president was arrested at his home, wearing an electric ankle monitor, and under police surveillance,” Bolsonaro’s attorneys said in a statement, adding that his imprisonment could put his life at risk due to fragile health. They said they would appeal the decision.

The U.S. embassy, which was cited in Moraes’ order as a potential destination if Bolsonaro attempted to flee, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment made outside normal business hours. A spokesperson for the Argentine embassy, which was also cited, declined to comment.

President Donald Trump, who had imposed tariffs on Brazil in defense of Bolsonaro but then backed off in the face of rising U.S. consumer prices, told reporters Saturday he hadn’t heard of the arrest, but noted, “Too bad,” before moving on to other topics.

Later Saturday, Moraes issued a separate order denying Bolsonaro’s request to serve his full sentence on house arrest. His lawyers can appeal. The episode will factor into the court’s ultimate decision on whether he can remain under house arrest, although his advanced age and poor health will also be taken into consideration, according to a person familiar with the judges’ thinking who requested anonymity.

The panel of justices overseeing the case is scheduled to convene Monday to decide whether to ratify Moraes’ order.

The arrest is the latest step in the swift downfall of the former Army captain who surged from the back benches of Brazil’s Congress to its presidency on a wave of anti-establishment sentiment in 2018. It comes at a time when the leftist Lula — Bolsonaro’s political archnemesis — is riding high after winning major tariff relief from Trump, the U.S. president who placed punishing levies on Brazil in a bid to help Bolsonaro escape his legal troubles.

The case against Bolsonaro stemmed from an investigation into the Jan. 8, 2023, insurrection attempt in Brasilia, where thousands of his supporters stormed federal buildings while urging the military to oust Lula a week after he took office.

Prosecutors later charged Bolsonaro and seven allies, including military personnel and former members of his cabinet, of plotting an overthrow attempt that included plans to assassinate Lula, his vice president and Moraes.

Before his own arrest in 2018, Lula’s supporters staged vigils in which massive crowds showed up to support the leftist leader who had been convicted on corruption charges a year prior.

Lula, who previously governed Brazil from 2003 to 2010, served 580 days in prison before the convictions were annulled, setting the stage for his political comeback and defeat of Bolsonaro.

Trump’s help

Bolsonaro’s trial triggered a rapid deterioration in U.S.-Brazil relations after Trump announced 50% tariffs on many Brazilian goods in a bid to get the court to drop the charges. The White House later added sanctions and visa restrictions on officials and their family members.

The pressure came after another of Bolsonaro’s sons, congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, moved to the U.S. to lobby for help. But Trump’s intervention instead provided a boost to Lula, with the once-embattled leader ranking as the most popular of South America’s major presidents in October.

Trump’s interest in the case has seemingly waned since Bolsonaro’s conviction, and the two largest economies in the Americas are now working to mend ties. Trump and Lula didn’t discuss Bolsonaro or the case during an October phone call. They later met in Malaysia, an encounter Lula left saying he expected a “definitive solution” to their trade spat soon.

Trump signed an executive order this week exempting dozens of Brazilian food products, including coffee and beef, from the increased tariffs. Together with prior relief, the order will leave many major exports from Brazil — the world’s largest coffee and beef producer — free from heightened levies.

Bolsonaro’s legal woes have also complicated the Brazilian right’s search for a challenger to Lula in 2026 presidential elections. The former president has continued insisting on his intention to run again despite the conviction and an eight-year ban from seeking or holding office, leaving potential successors in limbo as they try to position for the race.

Investors have considered Sao Paulo Gov. Tarcisio de Freitas, a former minister in Bolsonaro’s government, a likely candidate next year. Members of the Bolsonaro family, including his wife Michelle, are also considered possible options.

“I won’t let him give up on the purpose the Lord has entrusted to him,” Michelle Bolsonaro, who was traveling when her husband was arrested, said on social media. “We’ll keep praying.”

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(With assistance from Paul Wallace.)

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