🔗 Share this article

The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.

The ex-president was sentenced of orchestrating a armed takeover in September and sentenced more than over two decades in jail, but he was staying under house arrest pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after fresh information were revealed.

This involved trying to remove his ankle monitor and a call for a public vigil that could enable a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Escape Risks

In a document approving the arrest, the magistrate said data from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his getaway".

This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his son.

His child, his son Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a gathering of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.

His son wrote on social media on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or observe everything from your phone there on your settee? I invite you to battle with us."

He said the gathering would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the judge's determination was the chance of the former president's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a history of organizing to ask for protection through a consular facility", a announcement said.

The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the US embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is located around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist United States President Trump, causing him to enact a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

Bolsonaro is being kept in a Federal Police station in the capital and will have a custody hearing on the following day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.

They also asked that the former president be permitted to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he demanded ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other health problems.

Details of Guilty Verdict

Bolsonaro was convicted of heading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the national vote to his political opponent, Lula.

High Court judges said that he was aware of a plot which encompassed plans to murder Lula and his running partner, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.

The scheme was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the armed forces officials. His successor was sworn in without issue on 1 January 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, many Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged government buildings in the national capital, the capital city.

The police intervened and around 1,500 people were arrested.

The justices found that the protesters had been provoked by him whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, restore order and return him to office.

At the period, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also banned from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The one-time head of state called the trial a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the next presidential race.