🔗 Share this article

Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.

The one-time leader was convicted of planning a military coup in the ninth month and handed more than 27 years in jail, but he was staying under house arrest pending legal challenges.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after recent developments came to light.

This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Escape Risks

In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said information from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his escape.

This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the protest called by his child.

His child, his son Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a assembly of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.

His son wrote on online platforms on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or see it all from your phone there on your couch? I call on you to struggle with us."

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

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the magistrate's decision was the possibility of his move to embassies near the home, considering that the probes revealed a history of arranging to seek refuge through a embassy office", a declaration said.

The legal document emphasizes that the United States embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 13km from his dwelling.

Worldwide Consequences

The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative American leader Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.

The former president is being detained in a Federal Police station in the capital and will undergo a custody hearing on the next day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with tracking devices.

They also asked that Bolsonaro be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.

Details of Guilty Verdict

He was convicted of heading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.

High Court judges said that he knew of a plot which included plans to assassinate his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.

The conspiracy was prevented because it failed to get the backing of the armed forces officials. The current president was inaugurated without incident on January 1st, 2023.

But a week later, on the eighth of January, numerous his backers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the federal district, the capital city.

The police stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.

The magistrates found that the protesters had been provoked by him whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, restore order and bring him back to power.

At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also barred from campaigning for office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.

The former president called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 presidential election.