🔗 Share this article

The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The one-time leader was sentenced of planning a government overthrow in September and sentenced more than 27 years in prison, but he continued under house arrest pending court reviews.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a preventative measure after recent developments came to light.

This encompassed attempting to break his tracking device and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could enable a possible escape.

Court Filing Details Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the detention, the judge said intelligence from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his flight.

This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.

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

His son wrote on online platforms on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your settee? I call on you to battle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the possibility of Bolsonaro's "relocation to embassies near the home, considering that the probes revealed a history of arranging to request asylum through a embassy office", a declaration said.

The judicial paperwork underscores that the United States embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.

Worldwide Consequences

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist US President Trump, leading him to impose a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being detained in a Federal Police station in the capital and will undergo a detention review on Sunday.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.

They also requested that he be permitted to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he demanded ongoing care for lung conditions and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was found guilty of orchestrating a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the national vote to his ideological adversary, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plot which involved plans to kill the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.

The scheme was stopped because it didn't receive the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. His successor was took office without issue on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on January 8th, many his backers invaded and destroyed official structures in the capital, Brazil's capital.

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

The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, reestablish control and bring him back to power.

At the period, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also barred from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.

The one-time head of state called the trial a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 national vote.