Former Brazilian President Bolsonaro arrested

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested by the country’s police. He had been sentenced to prison on charges of attempting an illegal political coup. His sentence was scheduled to begin in a few days, but he was arrested beforehand.

He was detained at his residence in Brasília on Saturday, November 22.

In a statement, the country’s federal police said they had requested a preventive arrest warrant against him, which was executed following an instruction from the Supreme Court.

A source told CNN that Bolsonaro’s elder son, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, organised a gathering in front of the former president’s residence. Following that assembly, steps were taken to issue a preventive arrest warrant against Bolsonaro.

In the 2022 election, Jair Bolsonaro lost to the current President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. After his defeat, Bolsonaro attempted to retain power. On charges of attempting this political coup, he was sentenced earlier this year to 27 years in prison.

A five-judge bench of the Brazilian Supreme Court indicted him on these charges, with four of the judges delivering rulings against him.

In addition to attempting a political coup, Bolsonaro has also been accused of being linked to an armed criminal organisation. It has been alleged that he sought to overturn Brazil’s democracy through this group.

On 8 January 2023, Bolsonaro’s supporters attacked several government buildings. It was in the context of this attack that he was charged with links to the armed organisation.

Bolsonaro has consistently denied all allegations against him. He has claimed that the accusations of plotting a coup are politically motivated.