🔗 Share this article

The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.

The former head of state was convicted of orchestrating a armed takeover in the ninth month and sentenced more than over two decades in jail, but he remained under house arrest pending appeals.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after recent developments came to light.

This involved trying to remove his ankle monitor and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could enable a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks

In a document approving the detention, Justice Moraes said information from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's aim to disable the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his flight.

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

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

The senator wrote on digital networks on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I urge you to fight with us."

He said the demonstration would be so backers could "pray for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the magistrate's decision was the chance of Bolsonaro's move to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of arranging to seek refuge through a embassy office", a announcement said.

The legal document emphasizes that the United States embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.

Global Responses

The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative US President Donald Trump, causing him to impose a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

He is being kept in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will experience a custody hearing on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the High Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be allowed to leave his home for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

The former president was determined responsible of leading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the presidential race to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plan which encompassed plans to kill Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The plot was prevented because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. The current president was sworn in without issue on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, many Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged public facilities in the federal district, Brazil's capital.

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

The magistrates found that the protesters had been incited by him whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, bring back stability and return him to office.

At the period, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.

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

The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.