Jair Bolsonaro arrested after being deemed a flight risk

Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.

The ex-president was convicted of planning a military coup in the ninth month and sentenced more than a 27-year term in prison, but he remained under house arrest pending appeals.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a preventative measure after recent developments came to light.

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

Judicial Records Show Escape Risks

In a paperwork permitting the detention, the magistrate said data from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his getaway".

This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the protest called by his offspring.

His child, Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.

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

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

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the magistrate's determination was the chance of Bolsonaro's move to embassies near the home, considering that the probes revealed a history of arranging to request asylum through a embassy office", a declaration said.

The legal document highlights that the United States embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative American leader Trump, causing him to enact a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.

The former president is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will experience a custody hearing on the next day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with tracking devices.

They also requested that the former president be allowed to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he required ongoing care for lung conditions and other illnesses.

Details of Guilty Verdict

He was determined responsible of leading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the national vote to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plot which encompassed plans to kill Lula and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the top judicial official 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. His successor was inaugurated without problem on January 1st, 2023.

But a following week, on January 8th, numerous Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged official structures in the capital, the capital city.

The law enforcement intervened and around 1,500 people were arrested.

The judges found that the protesters had been encouraged by him whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to take action, reestablish control and bring him back to power.

At the moment, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.

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