The former Brazilian president detained after being declared a risk of fleeing

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Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.

The former head of state was sentenced of orchestrating a armed takeover in September and given more than a 27-year term in jail, but he was staying under house arrest pending court reviews.

High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after recent developments came to light.

This involved seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a potential flight.

Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns

In a document approving the arrest, the magistrate said intelligence from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the tracking monitor to ensure success in his escape.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the protest called by his child.

His child, Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.

His son wrote on social media on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your couch? I call on you to struggle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's move to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a history of arranging to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.

The legal document emphasizes that the US embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is located around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

Worldwide Consequences

The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist United States President President Trump, prompting him to enact a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being detained in a national police facility in the capital and will have a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he needed ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

He was found guilty of heading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the 2022 election to his political opponent, President Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a scheme which included plans to murder the current president and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing his judicial proceedings.

The plot was stopped because it didn't receive the backing of the army and air force commanders. His successor was sworn in without problem on January 1st, 2023.

But a following week, on the eighth of January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised official structures in the capital, the capital city.

The police stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.

The judges found that the demonstrators had been incited by him whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, bring back stability and bring him back to power.

At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also barred from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The ex-leader called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 national vote.

Janice Dean
Janice Dean

A software engineer and tech writer passionate about AI ethics and open-source projects, with over a decade of industry experience.