SAO PAULO, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- The arrest of ex-president Jair Bolsonaro should not affect bilateral ties between Brazil and the United States because Brazil is a sovereign country, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Sunday.

Bolsonaro was taken into preventive custody by police Saturday morning in Brasilia under an order issued by the Federal Supreme Court.

Referring to Trump's comment on Bolsonaro's arrest, Lula said, "Trump needs to know that we are a sovereign country and that our justice system decides."

Bolsonaro, he said, will serve the sentence handed down by the courts for his deeds.

According to U.S. media reports, when asked about Bolsonaro's arrest on Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump appeared unaware of it before lamenting the development as "too bad."

In September, Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison after being found guilty of involvement in an attempted coup in Brazil in a bid to stay in power after losing reelection. ■