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

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Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.

The ex-president was found guilty of planning a government overthrow in the ninth month and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he remained under house arrest pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after recent developments came to light.

This involved seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a call for a public vigil that could "allow for a potential flight.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the custody, Justice Moraes said data from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's aim to disable the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his escape.

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

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

His son wrote on social media on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or see it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I invite you to fight with us."

He said the gathering would be so supporters could offer prayers for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's decision was the potential of his move to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a history of organizing to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.

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

Worldwide Consequences

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative US President Donald Trump, prompting him to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.

He is being detained in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will have a imprisonment assessment on the next day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.

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

Details of Guilty Verdict

Bolsonaro was convicted of heading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the 2022 election to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

High Court judges said that he knew of a plot which included plans to assassinate Lula and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.

The scheme was prevented because it didn't receive the support of the army and air force commanders. The current president was sworn in without issue on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, thousands of his backers invaded and destroyed official structures in the capital, the capital city.

The law enforcement stepped in and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.

The justices found that the rioters had been incited by him whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.

At the moment, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also barred from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.

The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 presidential election.

Sharon Rice
Sharon Rice

A software engineer with over a decade of experience in full-stack development, passionate about open-source projects and tech education.