A panel of Brazilian Supreme Court justices sentenced former president Jair Bolsonaro to 27 years and three months in prison on Thursday after convicting him of attempting a coup to remain in office despite his 2022 electoral defeat.

Bolsonaro, who has always denied any wrongdoing, is currently under house arrest in Brasilia. He can appeal the ruling.

Four of the five justices reviewing the case in the panel found the far-right politician guilty on five counts, in a ruling that will deepen political divisions and likely prompt a backlash from the United States government.

It makes Bolsonaro the first former Brazilian president to be convicted of attempting a coup.

US President Donald Trump said that he was "very unhappy" with the conviction. Speaking to reporters as he departed the White House, he said he always found Bolsonaro to be "outstanding."

The conviction, he added, is "very bad for Brazil."