🔗 Share this article

Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.

The former head of state was sentenced of planning a government overthrow in September and given more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he continued under house arrest pending legal challenges.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after fresh information were revealed.

This included seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a call for a public vigil that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Flight Fears

In a paperwork permitting the arrest, the judge said information from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his getaway".

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his son.

His offspring, Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a gathering of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.

His son wrote on digital networks on Friday: Will you battle for your nation, or see it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I call on you to struggle with us."

He said the vigil would be so supporters could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's decision was the possibility of the former president's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a history of organizing to seek refuge through a embassy office", a declaration said.

The judicial paperwork highlights that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is located around 8 miles from the former president's residence.

Worldwide Consequences

His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist United States President President Trump, leading him to implement a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.

Bolsonaro is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will experience a detention review on the following day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.

They also asked that Bolsonaro be authorized to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was determined responsible of orchestrating a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the national vote to his political opponent, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plan which included plans to kill the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The scheme was prevented because it didn't receive the backing of the armed forces officials. His successor was took office without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, many his followers attacked and damaged government buildings in the national capital, Brasília.

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

The judges found that the protesters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, restore order and return him to office.

At the moment, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also barred from running for public office until 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.

The one-time head of state called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 presidential election.