Bolsonaro detained after being considered a flight risk

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Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The one-time leader was convicted of orchestrating a military coup in the ninth month and sentenced more than 27 years in prison, but he remained under home detention pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" were revealed.

This involved attempting to break his ankle monitor and a invitation to a public vigil that could facilitate a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears

In a paperwork permitting the custody, the magistrate said data from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to ensure success in his flight.

This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.

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

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I invite you to fight with us."

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could offer prayers for his health and for the return of democracy in our land."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the judge's ruling was the chance of Bolsonaro's "relocation to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a history of organizing to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.

The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the United States embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.

Worldwide Consequences

The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist US President Donald Trump, causing him to implement a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.

The former president is being held in a Federal Police station in the capital and will have a detention review on Sunday.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also requested that he be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he demanded ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other health problems.

Details of Guilty Verdict

He was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his political opponent, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plot which included plans to murder his opponent and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The plot was stopped because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. Lula was sworn in without problem on the first day of 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, thousands of his followers attacked and damaged government buildings in the national capital, Brazil's capital.

The security forces took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.

The magistrates found that the rioters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, restore order and bring him back to power.

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

He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The ex-leader called the court case a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him competing in the next presidential race.

Sarah Terrell
Sarah Terrell

A seasoned journalist with over 15 years of experience covering UK politics and international affairs, known for insightful reporting.