The US State Department has condemned a Brazilian Supreme Court order for the house arrest of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is on trial over an alleged plot to overturn the results of the 2022 presidential election.

The trial is receiving renewed attention after U.S. President Donald Trump directly tied a 50% tariff on imported Brazilian goods to the judicial situation of Bolsonaro, calling it a “witch hunt.”

Brazil's Supreme Court was caught off-guard by Justice Alexandre de Moraes' decision late on Monday to place former President Jair Bolsonaro under house arrest, two sources at the court told Reuters on Tuesday.