🔗 Share this article

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

The ex-president was convicted of planning a military coup in September and given more than 27 years in incarceration, but he continued under home detention pending legal challenges.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after fresh information were revealed.

This involved seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a demonstration that could "allow for a possible escape.

Court Filing Details Escape Risks

In a paperwork permitting the custody, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the surveillance device to ensure success in his escape.

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

His child, Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a assembly of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on last Friday: Will you battle for your country, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your sofa? I call on you to battle with us."

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

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the chance of the former president's "relocation to embassies near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of organizing to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.

The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the US embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist US President Trump, leading him to implement a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.

The former president is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a custody hearing on the next day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.

They also asked that he be authorized to depart his residence for medical care, saying he required frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other health problems.

Details of Guilty Verdict

He was determined responsible of leading a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the national vote to his political opponent, President Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a scheme which encompassed plans to murder Lula and his running partner, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.

The conspiracy was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the backing of the armed forces officials. The current president was took office without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, thousands of his followers attacked and damaged official structures in the national capital, Brasília.

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

The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, restore order and bring him back to power.

At the moment, the legal team called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.

The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him running in the next presidential race.