🔗 Share this article

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

The former head of state was convicted of planning a government overthrow in last fall and handed more than 27 years in incarceration, but he was staying under home detention pending appeals.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a precautionary step after fresh information emerged.

This included seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a call for a supporters' gathering that could enable a potential flight.

Court Filing Details Escape Concerns

In a paperwork permitting the arrest, the judge said information from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".

This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the protest called by his son.

His offspring, Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or observe everything from your phone there on your settee? I invite you to fight with us."

He said the vigil would be so followers could offer prayers for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the possibility of Bolsonaro's move to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of arranging to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.

The judicial paperwork underscores that the United States embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is located around 8 miles from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative US President Donald Trump, prompting him to enact a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being kept in a national police facility in the capital and will undergo a custody hearing on the following day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with tracking devices.

They also asked that the former president be authorized to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other ailments.

Details of Guilty Verdict

The former president was convicted of orchestrating a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the presidential race to his left-wing rival, President Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a scheme which included plans to kill the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.

The conspiracy was prevented because it didn't receive the support of the armed forces officials. His successor was took office without problem on 1 January 2023.

But a following week, on the eighth of January, thousands of his followers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the national capital, the capital city.

The security forces intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.

The justices found that the rioters had been encouraged by him whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to take action, restore order and return him to office.

At the time, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.

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

The former president called the court case a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 presidential election.