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

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The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.

The one-time leader was convicted of plotting a military coup in the ninth month and given more than a 27-year term in jail, but he was staying under home detention pending legal challenges.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a safety action after fresh information were revealed.

This encompassed trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a potential flight.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns

In a paperwork permitting the detention, the magistrate said information from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his getaway".

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

His son, his son Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a meeting of his supporters near his father's house to take place on the weekend.

His son wrote on social media on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or see it all from your phone there on your sofa? I invite you to battle with us."

He said the gathering would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his health and for the return of democracy in our land."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the chance of Bolsonaro's transfer to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of arranging to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The legal document emphasizes that the US embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist American leader Trump, leading him to enact a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.

He is being kept in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will have a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Top Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.

They also asked that the former president be permitted to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he required frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Details of Guilty Verdict

He was found guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the presidential race to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a scheme which involved plans to murder Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing his judicial proceedings.

The plot was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the military leaders. The current president was sworn in without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a following week, on 8 January, many his backers attacked and damaged official structures in the capital, Brazil's capital.

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

The justices found that the protesters had been provoked by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.

At the moment, the legal team called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".

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

The former president called the trial a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 national vote.

Michele Thompson
Michele Thompson

A tech journalist and gaming enthusiast with over a decade of experience covering emerging trends and innovations in digital culture.