🔗 Share this article

The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.

The former head of state was found guilty of planning a military coup in the ninth month and handed more than over two decades in prison, but he was staying under home detention pending court reviews.

High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after fresh information were revealed.

This encompassed trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a call for a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a possible escape.

Court Filing Details Flight Fears

In a document approving the custody, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his escape.

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

His child, Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a assembly of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.

The senator wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or see it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I invite you to fight with us."

He said the demonstration would be so followers could "pray for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the chance of the former president's "relocation to embassies near the home, considering that the probes revealed a history of organizing to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.

The court filing underscores that the US embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 13km from the former president's residence.

Worldwide Consequences

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist United States President Donald Trump, causing him to enact a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will have a detention review on Sunday.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.

They also requested that Bolsonaro be allowed to leave his home for healthcare, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other health problems.

Details of Guilty Verdict

He was found guilty of heading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a scheme which included plans to murder the current president and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over the former president's case.

The plot was stopped because it failed to get the endorsement of the military leaders. The current president was took office without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a following week, on 8 January, many Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised official structures in the federal district, Brasília.

The police stepped in and around 1,500 people were detained.

The justices found that the protesters had been encouraged by him whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, bring back stability and bring him back to power.

At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also banned from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The ex-leader called the trial a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 national vote.