🔗 Share this article

Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.

The former head of state was sentenced of plotting a military coup in last fall and given more than 27 years in jail, but he continued under confinement pending court reviews.

High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a precautionary step after fresh information came to light.

This included attempting to break his ankle monitor and a call for a public vigil that could "allow for a potential flight.

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a document approving the custody, the magistrate said intelligence from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his getaway".

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his child.

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

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or observe everything from your phone there on your sofa? I urge you to fight with us."

He said the demonstration would be so backers could "pray for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our country."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the chance of Bolsonaro's transfer to embassies near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of arranging to ask for protection through a consular facility", a declaration said.

The judicial paperwork underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, the capital city, is positioned around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist United States President Trump, causing him to impose a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being kept in a national police facility in Brasilia and will undergo a detention review on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.

They also petitioned that he be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he needed frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

The former president was determined responsible of leading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the national vote to his political opponent, President Lula.

High Court judges said that he was aware of a plot which involved plans to assassinate the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing the former president's case.

The conspiracy was stopped because it failed to get the backing of the armed forces officials. The current president was inaugurated without issue on January 1st, 2023.

But a following week, on 8 January, numerous his backers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the federal district, Brasília.

The law enforcement took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.

The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, reestablish control and bring him back to power.

At the moment, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years after the completion of his term.

The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 national vote.