Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro was placed in pretrial detention on Saturday after attacking his electronic bracelet with a blowtorch .

Under house arrest since August, this action is interpreted by the judge in charge of the case as an escape attempt by the former far-right leader.

⛓️ From house arrest to prison

Sentenced in September to 27 years in prison for an attempted coup aimed at preventing his rival, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, from coming to power, the former president (2019-2022) was under electronic surveillance as part of an investigation for obstruction of his trial.

According to Judge Alexandre de Moraes , the incident occurred shortly after midnight. The judge ordered pretrial detention—not the execution of the sentence—citing a "high risk of flight." This attempted escape could have coincided with a planned demonstration by his supporters near his residence in Brasilia, thus offering an opportunity to flee to a nearby embassy, particularly the United States embassy.

🔌 A soldering iron out of "curiosity"

Taken to the federal police, the 70-year-old former leader admitted to the acts in a video recorded by the authorities. When questioned about the burn marks visible on the device at his ankle, Bolsonaro confirmed that he had used a "soldering iron," casually adding that it was out of simple "curiosity."

📢 Trump support and defense concerns

This event sparked international reactions, notably from his ally, former US President Donald Trump , who deemed the news of the detention "really bad." Furthermore, Trump had denounced a "witch hunt" against Bolsonaro, who had previously imposed a punitive tariff on Brazil before easing it following a meeting with Lula.

The defense team for the former president, who is still appealing his conviction, announced that it would appeal this new pretrial detention. The lawyers raised concerns about Bolsonaro's health, as he suffers from the aftereffects of a stabbing he sustained in 2018.

The former president's eldest son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, strongly criticized Judge Moraes on social media, declaring: "If my father dies in there, it will be your fault."