The former Brazilian president arrested after being considered a flight risk

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The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The former head of state was found guilty of plotting a armed takeover in last fall and sentenced more than 27 years in jail, but he continued under confinement pending legal challenges.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" emerged.

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

Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said intelligence from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the former leader's aim to disable the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his getaway".

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

His son, his son Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Will you battle for your country, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I invite you to fight with us."

He said the vigil would be so backers could "pray for his health and for the return of democracy in our land."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a history of planning to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.

The court filing highlights that the United States embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist American leader Donald Trump, prompting him to implement a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.

The former president is being detained in a Federal Police station in the capital and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the following day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with digital surveillance.

They also petitioned that he be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he required regular treatment for lung conditions and other ailments.

Details of Guilty Verdict

The former president was determined responsible of heading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the national vote to his political opponent, President Lula.

High Court judges said that he was aware of a scheme which included plans to assassinate the current president and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.

The plot was prevented because it failed to get the backing of the military leaders. Lula was took office without problem on January 1st, 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, numerous his backers attacked and damaged government buildings in the federal district, Brasília.

The security forces stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.

The judges found that the demonstrators had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, bring back stability and return him to office.

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

He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The ex-leader called the court case a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 presidential election.

Robert Allen
Robert Allen

A software engineer and tech journalist with over a decade of experience covering emerging technologies and startup ecosystems across Europe.