Bolsonaro detained after being considered a flight risk

The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.

The former head of state was sentenced of plotting a armed takeover in the ninth month and sentenced more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he remained under house arrest pending appeals.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after fresh information came to light.

This included seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a demonstration that could "allow for a possible escape.

Court Filing Details Flight Fears

In a paperwork permitting the detention, the judge said data from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the protest called by his son.

His son, Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his backers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or see it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I call on you to battle with us."

He said the vigil would be so supporters could "pray for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the judge's determination was the chance of Bolsonaro's transfer to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a record of planning to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The legal document underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, the capital city, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.

International Reactions

His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist US President Trump, causing him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being held in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will have a detention review on Sunday.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with tracking devices.

They also petitioned that he be allowed to depart his residence for medical care, saying he needed regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Context of Sentencing

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 ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plan which encompassed plans to assassinate his opponent and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.

The scheme was prevented because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. The current president was inaugurated without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a following week, on 8 January, thousands of his backers stormed and vandalised official structures in the national capital, Brazil's capital.

The security forces took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.

The judges found that the rioters had been incited by him whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, bring back stability and bring him back to power.

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

He was also banned from seeking elected position until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.

The ex-leader called the court case a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him running in the next presidential race.