Brazil police search Bolsonaro's home, court orders ankle monitor
Brazilian police searched his home as courts feared he might flee to the US.
Donald Trump defended Bolsonaro, calling the case a 'witch hunt' and threatening tariffs on Brazil.
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Friday had his home searched by police and was ordered to wear an ankle monitor, adding to legal pressure that US President Donald Trump has tried to end by threatening a steep tariff on Brazilian goods.
Lawmakers from Bolsonaro's right-wing Liberal Party said the former president had been ordered to wear an ankle monitor, stop using social media and cease communications with diplomats.
They said Bolsonaro was also banned from contacting key allies, including his son Eduardo, a Brazilian congressman who has been lobbying in Washington to help his father.
On social media, the lawmaker tied the latest court order to a video his father released on Thursday, thanking Trump for his support.
CNN Brasil reported that the court orders targeting Bolsonaro had been motivated by the risk of him fleeing to the United States.
Bolsonaro's lawyers expressed 'surprise and indignation' in a statement at what they called 'severe precautionary measures imposed against him,' adding that Bolsonaro has so far complied with court orders.
Federal police said in a statement that they had served search warrants and non-specified 'precautionary measures' ordered by the Supreme Court but did not name Bolsonaro, who governed Latin America's largest country from 2019 to 2022.
Trump has pressed Brazil to stop a legal case against Bolsonaro, saying that his former ally was the victim of a 'witch hunt.'
Bolsonaro, who was friendly with Trump when they were both in office, is on trial before Brazil's Supreme Court on charges of plotting a coup to stop President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office in January 2023.
Trump, who last week said he would impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods, posted a letter on Truth Social on Thursday that he sent to Bolsonaro.
'I have seen the terrible treatment you are receiving at the hands of an unjust system turned against you. This trial should end immediately!' he wrote.
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