Bolsonaro taken into preventive custody as coup plot probe reaches final phase

Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro was taken into preventive custody in the early hours of Saturday following an order issued by the Federal Supreme Court, authorities confirmed.

Federal Police officers detained the former leader at around 6 am local time and transferred him directly to their headquarters in Brasília. Officials clarified that the detention is not linked to a conviction but is a precautionary measure sought by investigators overseeing an alleged coup plot.

Bolsonaro, who governed Brazil from 2019 to 2022, had been under house arrest since 4 August. The Supreme Court ordered his preventive detention on grounds of maintaining public order as the investigation entered its concluding stage.

As part of the broader legal process, he has previously been handed a sentence totalling 27 years and three months, according to information cited by Xinhua.

On Friday, his defence lawyers submitted a request to Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, the rapporteur in the case, asking that he be allowed to remain under house arrest due to reported health concerns. The court has yet to rule on that plea.

Authorities have not provided a timetable for Bolsonaro’s questioning, nor have they indicated whether further actions will be taken during the day. His legal team has not issued additional comments on immediate legal steps.

The preventive detention comes amid several ongoing inquiries led by the Federal Supreme Court and Federal Police into Bolsonaro’s conduct during and after his presidency. Judicial officials said more details would be made public once confidentiality restrictions linked to the investigation are lifted.

With IANS inputs