Jair Bolsonaro detained after being considered a flight risk

placeholder news image

Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.

The ex-president was sentenced of plotting a armed takeover in the ninth month and handed more than over two decades in prison, but he was staying under home detention pending legal challenges.

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

This encompassed trying to remove his tracking device and a call for a public vigil that could enable a chance to flee".

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a filing authorising the custody, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the former leader's aim to disable the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".

This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his child.

His child, his son Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a gathering of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.

His son wrote on social media on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your couch? I invite you to battle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the judge's ruling was the possibility of Bolsonaro's transfer to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of arranging to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The court filing underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 8 miles from his dwelling.

Global Responses

His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist US President Trump, prompting him to implement a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.

The former president is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will undergo a custody hearing on the following day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with tracking devices.

They also requested that Bolsonaro be authorized to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he needed regular treatment for lung conditions and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

He was convicted of heading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plot which included plans to murder his opponent and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.

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

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, numerous his backers attacked and damaged government buildings in the federal district, Brasília.

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

The justices found that the demonstrators had been incited by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to step in, reestablish control and bring him back to power.

At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.

He was also banned from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.

The former president called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 presidential election.

Lisa Warren
Lisa Warren

A tech journalist and digital strategist with over a decade of experience covering emerging technologies and their impact on society.