Jair Bolsonaro arrested after being deemed a flight risk

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Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.

The one-time leader was sentenced of orchestrating a government overthrow in the ninth month and given more than 27 years in incarceration, but he remained under home detention pending appeals.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after fresh information were revealed.

This involved seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a public vigil that could enable a potential flight.

Court Filing Details Flight Fears

In a filing authorising the detention, Justice Moraes said information from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the former leader's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his child.

His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a legislator, called for a gathering of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.

His son wrote on online platforms on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or see it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I call on you to struggle with us."

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

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the possibility of Bolsonaro's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of planning to request asylum through a embassy office", a declaration said.

The court filing emphasizes that the United States embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is positioned around 13km from his dwelling.

Global Responses

His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist American leader Donald Trump, leading him to enact a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.

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

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.

They also asked that he be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he needed frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.

Details of Guilty Verdict

He was found guilty of orchestrating a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a scheme which involved plans to assassinate Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing the former president's case.

The plot was prevented because it couldn't obtain the backing of the army and air force commanders. The current president was took office without issue on January 1st, 2023.

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

The security forces intervened and around 1,500 people were detained.

The magistrates found that the rioters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, restore order and reinstate his authority.

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

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

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

Nancy Chase
Nancy Chase

Elena Rodriguez is a senior technology strategist with over a decade of experience in digital innovation and enterprise solutions.