🔗 Share this article

Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The ex-president was convicted of orchestrating a government overthrow in last fall and handed more than over two decades in prison, but he continued under confinement pending court reviews.

High Court Judge the presiding justice said the move to detain the elderly politician was a safety action after "new facts" came to light.

This included attempting to break his tracking device and a call for a demonstration that could enable a potential flight.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks

In a document approving the arrest, the magistrate said intelligence from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's plan to remove the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his son.

His son, his son Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a assembly of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or watch it all from your phone there on your settee? I urge you to struggle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our land."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the possibility of the former president's transfer to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a background of arranging to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.

The legal document underscores that the US embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.

Worldwide Consequences

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist United States President Donald Trump, prompting him to implement a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.

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

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with digital surveillance.

They also asked that Bolsonaro be permitted to leave his home for medical care, saying he required regular treatment for lung conditions and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

He was determined responsible of leading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Lula.

High Court judges said that he was aware of a plan which involved plans to assassinate the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The scheme was prevented because it couldn't obtain the backing of the armed forces officials. The current president was took office without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a week later, on the eighth of January, thousands of his followers attacked and damaged public facilities in the capital, Brazil's capital.

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

The judges found that the rioters had been encouraged by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, bring back stability and bring him back to power.

At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - 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 competing in the next presidential race.