Jair Bolsonaro arrested after being deemed a flight risk

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Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.

The ex-president was sentenced of orchestrating a armed takeover in the ninth month and handed more than over two decades in incarceration, but he remained under confinement pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after recent developments came to light.

This included trying to remove his tracking device and a call for a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a chance to flee".

Judicial Records Show Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the custody, Justice Moraes said information from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his escape.

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

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

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your couch? I invite you to battle with us."

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

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the magistrate's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's move to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a background of organizing to ask for protection through a embassy office", a statement said.

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

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative United States President Trump, causing him to impose a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.

He is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will experience a custody hearing on the following day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.

They also petitioned that he be authorized to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he demanded regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other health problems.

Details of Guilty Verdict

The former president was determined responsible of leading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Lula.

High Court judges said that he was aware of a plot which involved plans to murder his opponent and his running partner, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The conspiracy was thwarted because it failed to get the support of the armed forces officials. The current president was sworn in without incident on January 1st, 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, many his followers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the national capital, Brasília.

The law enforcement took action and around 1,500 people were detained.

The judges found that the demonstrators had been provoked by him whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, reestablish control and bring him back to power.

At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.

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

The one-time head of state called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 presidential election.

Jordan Maynard
Jordan Maynard

Elena Voss is an experienced journalist specializing in global affairs and economic reporting.