Jair Bolsonaro’s electronic ankle bracelet was allegedly tampered with using soldering materials to attempt to rip the casing of the device, an incident revealed by journalist Andrea Sadi, from Globo News. The violation alert, which was launched at 00:07, was one of the central points taken into account by Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the Supreme Federal Court (STF), when determining the preventive detention of the former president. The Federal Police will conduct an examination of the device. But there are other accounts circulating: according to GLOBO columnist Malu Gaspard, Bolsonaro’s own defense considered, at first, that the laceration occurred with a hot knife.
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According to the Secretariat of the Federal District Prison Service, which is responsible for monitoring, the team accompanying Bolsonaro was summoned immediately after the warning. At 1:09 a.m., agents confirmed the breach and replaced the device. The Criminal Enforcement Act states that a person under supervision must ensure the proper functioning of an ankle bracelet: removing, damaging or modifying or allowing third parties to do so is considered serious non-compliance, and is subject to legal penalties.
How to make an ankle bracelet
The electronic ankle bracelet is used by more than 120,000 people in the country. It is a lightweight piece of equipment, weighing between 120 grams and 200 grams, that works with GPS and sends constant signals to government monitoring centers. From this perspective, agents monitor the movements of the monitored person in real time and receive automatic alerts in the event of an attempted violation, approaching restricted areas, battery failure or technical problems.
The device is attached to the ankle by a reinforced elastic strap, closed with a special clip that can only be cut with a specific tool. Inside this belt there are optical fibers, responsible for identifying any attempt to break or tamper. At the slightest damage, the system sends an alert to the center, which works around the clock. In the Federal District, for example, nine servers monitor about 644 people simultaneously, each agent in front of two monitors.
The ankle bracelet’s battery lasts about 24 hours and must be charged daily, a process that takes up to three hours. Light signals indicate battery level or connection attempts from the console. Leaving the device completely empty is a serious offense. Routine practices, such as bathing or light activities, are allowed; However, efforts that force the belt, such as playing soccer, may cause warnings or damage.
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In addition to monitoring those being investigated and sentenced to house arrest or semi-open conditions, ankle bracelets are widely used in protective measures against domestic violence, to prevent abusers from approaching victims. With the rapid growth in the use of the equipment, an increase of 95% between 2016 and 2024, experts point out that the country faces a shortage of staff to monitor alerts: there are only 181 specialists for the more than 120,000 people being monitored, equivalent to one person for every 674 people in detention.
In the decision issuing the pretrial detention order, Moraes stated that the attempt to break the ankle bracelet indicated an intention to “ensure successful escape,” also citing the former president’s history of seeking shelter in embassies and reports of a plan to seek asylum at the Argentine embassy. According to the minister, the violation occurred at a time when the vigil called by the allies could cause enough unrest to facilitate eventual evasion.
The PF will now examine the equipment to prove the method used in the attempted breach. If the intentional action is confirmed, the incident reinforces the understanding of non-compliance with the judicial process, and helps explain the STF’s decision to order the immediate arrest of Bolsonaro.
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