The former Brazilian president detained after being considered a flight risk

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Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The one-time leader was found guilty of orchestrating a military coup in September and sentenced more than 27 years in jail, but he continued under home detention pending appeals.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after "new facts" were revealed.

This involved trying to remove his ankle monitor and a summons to a demonstration that could facilitate a potential flight.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the custody, the judge said data from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove 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 offspring.

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

His son wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your sofa? I call on you to struggle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could "pray for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the chance of Bolsonaro's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a background of arranging to seek refuge through a embassy office", a declaration said.

The judicial paperwork highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 13km from his dwelling.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative US President Trump, leading him to impose a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being held in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will experience a detention review on the next day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also asked that he be authorized to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he needed frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Details of Guilty Verdict

Bolsonaro was determined responsible of orchestrating a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

High Court judges said that he was aware of a plan which included plans to assassinate his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been managing his judicial proceedings.

The scheme was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the support of the army and air force commanders. Lula was inaugurated without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a week later, on January 8th, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged government buildings in the federal district, the capital city.

The security forces took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.

The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been provoked by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, reestablish control and return him to office.

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

He was also banned from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.

The one-time head of state called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 presidential election.

Nicole Howard
Nicole Howard

A seasoned gambling analyst with over a decade of experience in reviewing online casinos and providing expert betting advice.