🔗 Share this article

Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.

The one-time leader was convicted of plotting a armed takeover in the ninth month and handed more than 27 years in prison, but he was staying under home detention pending appeals.

Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" emerged.

This encompassed trying to remove his ankle monitor and a invitation to a demonstration that could enable a potential flight.

Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears

In a filing authorising the custody, the magistrate said information from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his flight.

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

His son, Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a assembly of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.

His son wrote on social media on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I call on you to struggle with us."

He said the gathering would be so backers could "pray for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our nation."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the magistrate's determination was the chance of his "relocation to foreign missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of organizing to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The judicial paperwork underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 8 miles from the former president's residence.

International Reactions

The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist US President Donald Trump, causing him to enact a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.

The former president is being held in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will experience a custody hearing on the next day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with digital surveillance.

They also asked that Bolsonaro be authorized to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was determined responsible of heading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a scheme which encompassed plans to assassinate Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The conspiracy was stopped because it didn't receive the support of the military leaders. His successor was inaugurated without problem on January 1st, 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, thousands of his backers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the national capital, Brazil's capital.

The police took action and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.

The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been provoked by him whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to step in, bring back stability and return him to office.

At the time, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also prohibited from running for public office until 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The former president called the trial a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 presidential election.