🔗 Share this article

The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.

The ex-president was sentenced of plotting a government overthrow in last fall and sentenced more than 27 years in prison, but he remained under house arrest pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" came to light.

This encompassed trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a call for a public vigil that could "allow for a potential flight.

Court Filing Details Escape Concerns

In a paperwork permitting the arrest, Justice Moraes said data from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the tracking monitor to ensure success in his getaway".

This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the protest called by his son.

His child, Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I invite you to struggle with us."

He said the vigil would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his health and for the return of democracy in our nation."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the magistrate's determination was the possibility of the former president's transfer to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a background of planning to ask for protection through a embassy office", a statement said.

The court filing emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brasilia, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist United States President President Trump, prompting him to enact a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.

Bolsonaro is being kept in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the next day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also asked that the former president be permitted to depart his residence for medical care, saying he demanded ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.

Context of Sentencing

He was found guilty of heading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the presidential race to his political opponent, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plot which involved plans to kill his opponent and his running partner, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.

The scheme was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the backing of the military leaders. The current president was took office without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a following week, on January 8th, numerous Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed official structures in the national capital, Brasília.

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

The judges found that the rioters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, bring back stability and return him to office.

At the time, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.

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

The one-time head of state called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 presidential election.