🔗 Share this article

Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.

The former head of state was found guilty of orchestrating a military coup in last fall and given more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he continued under house arrest pending court reviews.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after recent developments came to light.

This included trying to remove his ankle monitor and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a chance to flee".

Judicial Records Show Escape Risks

In a paperwork permitting the detention, the magistrate said data from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his flight.

This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his child.

His offspring, Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.

The senator wrote on online platforms on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or see it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I call on you to struggle with us."

He said the gathering would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the judge's decision was the chance of the former president's "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of planning to seek refuge through a consular facility", a announcement said.

The legal document highlights that the US embassy in the capital, the capital city, is positioned around 13km from the former president's residence.

Worldwide Consequences

His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist American leader Trump, leading him to implement a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.

The former president is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will experience a detention review on the following day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with digital surveillance.

They also asked that Bolsonaro be allowed to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he needed frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other illnesses.

Context of Sentencing

The former president was convicted of orchestrating a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plan which included plans to assassinate his opponent and his running partner, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing the former president's case.

The scheme was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the backing of the armed forces officials. The current president was inaugurated without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, thousands of his backers attacked and damaged official structures in the national capital, the capital city.

The law enforcement stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.

The judges found that the rioters had been encouraged by him whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, restore order and return him to office.

At the moment, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.

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

The ex-leader called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 national vote.