🔗 Share this article

The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The former head of state was sentenced of orchestrating a government overthrow in September and handed more than 27 years in jail, but he was staying under home detention pending legal challenges.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after "new facts" came to light.

This encompassed attempting to break his tracking device and a summons to a demonstration that could facilitate a possible escape.

Judicial Records Show Escape Risks

In a paperwork permitting the custody, the judge said data from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his escape.

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

His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a legislator, called for a meeting of his backers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.

His son wrote on digital networks on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your couch? I call on you to struggle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the chance of his "relocation to embassies near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of planning to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.

The legal document emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist United States President Donald Trump, prompting him to enact a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.

The former president is being held in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will undergo a detention review on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with digital surveillance.

They also petitioned that the former president be authorized to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

The former president was found guilty of orchestrating a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the national vote to his political opponent, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plan which involved plans to assassinate his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing the former president's case.

The plot was thwarted because it failed to get the endorsement of the military leaders. His successor was took office without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, thousands of his backers invaded and destroyed official structures in the capital, Brasília.

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

The magistrates found that the protesters had been provoked by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, reestablish control and return him to office.

At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.

He was also barred from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.

The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him running in the next presidential race.