The former Brazilian president taken into custody after being declared a risk of fleeing

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

The former head of state was convicted of orchestrating a armed takeover in the ninth month and sentenced more than 27 years in incarceration, but he was staying under home detention pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after fresh information emerged.

This included trying to remove his ankle monitor and a summons to a public vigil that could enable a chance to flee".

Judicial Records Show Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the detention, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the former leader's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his escape.

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

His child, his son Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or see it all from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to struggle with us."

He said the vigil would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's ruling was the chance of the former president's move to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a background of planning to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.

The court filing highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist United States President Trump, causing him to impose a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.

Bolsonaro is being held in a Federal Police station in the capital and will experience a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.

They also requested that the former president be allowed to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other ailments.

Details of Guilty Verdict

The former president was convicted of heading a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the national vote to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a scheme which involved plans to assassinate his opponent and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The scheme was stopped because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the military leaders. His successor was sworn in without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, many Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged official structures in the national capital, Brazil's capital.

The security forces took action and around 1,500 people were detained.

The judges found that the protesters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to step in, reestablish control and return him to office.

At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.

He was also banned from running for public office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.

The ex-leader called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 national vote.

Ashley Myers
Ashley Myers

A tech journalist and digital strategist passionate about emerging technologies and their impact on society.