🔗 Share this article

Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.

The ex-president was found guilty of plotting a armed takeover in September and given more than over two decades in prison, but he was staying under house arrest pending appeals.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" came to light.

This included attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a call for a demonstration that could facilitate a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Flight Fears

In a filing authorising the detention, Justice Moraes said data from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his flight.

This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his child.

His son, Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.

The senator wrote on social media on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or see it all from your phone there on your sofa? I invite you to struggle with us."

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

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the possibility of Bolsonaro's move to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a history of organizing to seek refuge through a embassy office", a statement said.

The court filing emphasizes that the United States embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist United States President President Trump, prompting him to impose a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.

The former president is being kept in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with digital surveillance.

They also requested that he be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other health problems.

Context of Sentencing

The former president was determined responsible of leading a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the national vote to his left-wing rival, President Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plot which encompassed plans to kill his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been managing the former president's case.

The scheme was prevented because it didn't receive the backing of the army and air force commanders. The current president was inaugurated without problem on the first day of 2023.

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

The security forces stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.

The justices found that the rioters had been encouraged by him whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to take action, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.

At the period, the legal team called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also barred from campaigning for office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.

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