The former Brazilian president arrested after being deemed a risk of fleeing

placeholder news image

Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.

The former head of state was convicted of plotting a armed takeover in the ninth month and sentenced more than over two decades in prison, but he was staying under house arrest pending appeals.

High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after fresh information came to light.

This encompassed seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a demonstration that could enable a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said data from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the former leader's plan to remove the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his child.

His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a legislator, called for a meeting of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.

The senator wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or watch it all from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to struggle with us."

He said the vigil would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the possibility of the former president's "relocation to embassies near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of arranging to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.

The court filing emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, the capital city, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative American leader Trump, leading him to impose a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being detained in a national police facility in the capital and will undergo a custody hearing on the following day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with tracking devices.

They also requested that he be authorized to depart his residence for medical care, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

He was determined responsible of heading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

High Court judges said that he was aware of a plan which included plans to kill the current president and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.

The scheme was prevented because it couldn't obtain the support of the armed forces officials. Lula was inaugurated without issue on the first day of 2023.

But a seven days after, on January 8th, many Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged government buildings in the capital, Brasília.

The law enforcement stepped in and around 1,500 people were arrested.

The magistrates found that the rioters had been encouraged by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, bring back stability and return him to office.

At the time, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".

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

The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 national vote.

Christine Nguyen
Christine Nguyen

Tech enthusiast and futurist exploring the intersection of innovation and daily life.