The former Brazilian president taken into custody after being declared a flight risk

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Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.

The ex-president was convicted of planning a military coup in the ninth month and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he remained under confinement pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" were revealed.

This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a invitation to a public vigil that could enable a possible escape.

Court Filing Details Flight Fears

In a document approving the detention, the judge said intelligence from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his flight.

This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the protest called by his offspring.

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

The senator wrote on social media on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your couch? I call on you to battle with us."

He said the vigil would be so supporters could "pray for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our land."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the judge's ruling was the chance of his transfer to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of planning to seek refuge through a embassy office", a announcement said.

The legal document highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, the capital city, is situated around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

Worldwide Consequences

His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative US President Donald Trump, causing him to implement a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.

He is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will experience a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.

They also petitioned that he be authorized to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he needed frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

He was found guilty of heading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the 2022 election to his political opponent, President Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a scheme which included plans to kill Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.

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

But a following week, on 8 January, many his backers attacked and damaged public facilities in the national capital, Brazil's capital.

The police took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.

The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to take action, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.

At the moment, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also prohibited from running for public office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.

The former president called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 presidential election.

Kathy Martin
Kathy Martin

Lena is a certified spinning instructor and fitness writer with over a decade of experience in cycling and wellness coaching.