YEREVAN, APRIL 8, ARMENPRESS. A standoff between Elon Musk and Brazil escalated on Sunday when a Supreme Court judge opened an inquiry into the billionaire after Musk said he would reactivate accounts on the social media platform X that the judge had ordered blocked, Reuters reports.

Musk, the owner of X, has challenged a decision by Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordering the blocking of certain accounts. He has said X, formerly known as Twitter, would lift all the restrictions because they were unconstitutional.

Neither Musk, X nor Brazilian authorities have disclosed which social media accounts were ordered blocked. According to Reuters, Moraes is investigating "digital militias" that have been accused of spreading fake news and hate messages during the government of former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro and is also leading an investigation into an alleged coup attempt by Bolsonaro.

Musk, in an X post on Saturday evening, accused Moraes of "brazenly and repeatedly" betraying the constitution and people of Brazil.

"As a result, we will probably lose all revenue in Brazil and have to shut down our office there. But principles matter more than profit."

Moraes responded on Sunday by adding Musk to the investigation he is leading into fake news on social media, and opening an inquiry into what he called an obstruction of justice, the report adds.

In his decision, Moraes said: "X shall refrain from disobeying any court order already issued, including performing any profile reactivation that has been blocked by this Supreme Court."

If X fails to comply with the order to block certain accounts the company will be fined 100,000 reals ($19,740) per day, the judge said in a statement released to media.