🔗 Share this article

Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.

The ex-president was sentenced of plotting a military coup in the ninth month and sentenced more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he remained under home detention pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after recent developments came to light.

This encompassed seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Escape Concerns

In a paperwork permitting the arrest, the judge said data from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the surveillance device to ensure success in his flight.

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

His child, Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a gathering of his supporters near his father's house to take place on the weekend.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or see it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I invite you to battle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so followers could "pray for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the judge's decision was the possibility of the former president's "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a record of organizing to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The court filing underscores that the US embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 8 miles from his dwelling.

Worldwide Consequences

His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist American leader Donald Trump, causing him to enact a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.

He is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will undergo a detention review on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with digital surveillance.

They also asked that he be permitted to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he required frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

The former president was convicted of leading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the national vote to his left-wing rival, President Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plot which encompassed plans to murder his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.

The conspiracy was thwarted because it failed to get the support of the armed forces officials. His successor was took office without incident on January 1st, 2023.

But a seven days after, on January 8th, many his followers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the federal district, Brasília.

The security forces stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.

The judges found that the rioters had been incited by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, restore order and bring him back to power.

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

He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him competing in the next presidential race.