🔗 Share this article

The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.

The former head of state was sentenced of plotting a military coup in September and handed more than 27 years in jail, but he continued under house arrest pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after fresh information came to light.

This encompassed attempting to break his tracking device and a call for a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a possible escape.

Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns

In a document approving the detention, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his getaway".

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

His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a senator, called for a assembly of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.

The senator wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your settee? I invite you to struggle with us."

He said the vigil would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's determination was the chance of the former president's transfer to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of arranging to request asylum through a consular facility", a announcement said.

The court filing highlights that the US embassy in the capital, the capital city, is situated around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

Global Responses

The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist United States President Trump, prompting him to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.

The former president is being held in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will experience a custody hearing on the next day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.

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

Background on Conviction

The former president was found guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the national vote to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

High Court judges said that he knew of a plot which encompassed plans to murder Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The scheme was stopped because it didn't receive the support of the armed forces officials. The current president was took office without incident on January 1st, 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, numerous his backers attacked and damaged public facilities in the federal district, the capital city.

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

The magistrates found that the protesters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.

At the period, the legal team called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until 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.