Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, convicted of attempted coup, was arrested by the Federal Police (PF) following a decision by Justice Alexandre de Moraes of the Supreme Federal Court (STF).

Brasilia.- According to TV Globo, De Moraes’s decision only affects the far-right former president and not others convicted for the violent plot following the 2022 general elections.

Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison for leading a coup conspiracy to try to remain in power, despite his defeat at the polls to current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

The former Army captain, who had been under house arrest since August 4 for violating precautionary measures, was taken directly to the PF headquarters in the Federal District.

The legal resources available to the former president’s defense to try to reduce his sentence or review any inconsistencies in the decision of the justices of the Supreme Federal Court’s First Chamber have not yet been exhausted.

Bolsonaro's legal team appealed the panel's decision, arguing that the conviction was based on weak evidence and contradictions in the ruling, and that Bolsonaro had no direct involvement in the events alleged by the Attorney General’s Office.

In the trial that concluded on September 11, four of the five justices of the First Chamber found Bolsonaro guilty of the crimes of organized crime, coup d’etat, abolition of the democratic rule of law, aggravated damage, and damage to historical heritage, with only one dissenting vote. (PL)