Jair Bolsonaro's ankle‑monitor signal loss triggers police inspection
On Friday, 19 June, the electronic ankle monitor worn by former president Jair Bolsonaro lost its GPS signal at 18:57 while he was under temporary house arrest in Brasília. The Federal District Police (PMDF) alerted the Supreme Court’s monitoring centre, contacted Bolsonaro and instructed him to move to an exterior part of the house to re‑establish satellite contact.
A police team arrived at 20:04, inspected the device and reported that the bracelet’s structure was intact, the LEDs were on and the signal cadence was normal. The signal was restored and the monitor continued to function without replacement. The incident occurred shortly before Brazil’s World Cup match against Haiti and comes while Bolsonaro serves a 27‑year sentence, remains under strict electronic monitoring, and is recovering from pneumonia.
The report also notes a previous alleged tampering attempt in November 2025, when Bolsonaro reportedly used a soldering iron on the bracelet, leading to a temporary prison‑preventive order.