The former Brazilian president detained after being deemed a risk of fleeing

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Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.

The ex-president was found guilty of planning a government overthrow in last fall and handed more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he remained under home detention pending legal challenges.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a precautionary step after fresh information came to light.

This involved trying to remove his ankle monitor and a invitation to a demonstration that could facilitate a chance to flee".

Judicial Records Show Escape Risks

In a document approving the detention, the judge said data from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his escape.

This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his offspring.

His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a legislator, called for a gathering of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.

His son wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or observe everything from your phone there on your sofa? I invite you to struggle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could offer prayers for his health and for the return of democracy in our country."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the potential of his "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, 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 US embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist United States President President Trump, causing him to enact a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.

The former president is being held in a Federal Police station in the capital and will have a custody hearing on the next day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.

They also asked that Bolsonaro be authorized to leave his home for healthcare, saying he demanded ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other health problems.

Context of Sentencing

The former president was determined responsible of heading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the national vote to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plot which involved plans to kill the current president and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The scheme was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the armed forces officials. The current president was took office without incident on January 1st, 2023.

But a following week, on the eighth of January, numerous his backers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the federal district, the capital city.

The police intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.

The judges found that the demonstrators had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, restore order and reinstate his authority.

At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.

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

The former president called the court case a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 presidential election.

Mariah Smith
Mariah Smith

Urban lifestyle enthusiast and freelance writer exploring city culture.