🔗 Share this article

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

The one-time leader was convicted of plotting a military coup in the ninth month and given more than over two decades in prison, but he was staying under home detention pending legal challenges.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after "new facts" came to light.

This involved seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a demonstration that could enable a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Flight Fears

In a filing authorising the custody, the magistrate said information from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the former leader's "intention to break the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his flight.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.

His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.

His son wrote on social media on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I urge you to struggle with us."

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

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the magistrate's ruling was the potential of Bolsonaro's transfer to embassies near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of planning to seek refuge through a consular facility", a declaration said.

The court filing highlights that the US embassy in the capital, the capital city, is positioned around 8 miles from his dwelling.

Worldwide Consequences

His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist American leader Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.

He is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.

They also asked that he be allowed to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he needed regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

He was convicted of orchestrating a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the presidential race to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

High Court judges said that he was aware of a plan which included plans to murder Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.

The plot was stopped because it didn't receive the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. The current president was took office without incident on January 1st, 2023.

But a week later, on the eighth of January, thousands of his backers attacked and damaged public facilities in the capital, the capital city.

The law enforcement took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.

The justices found that the rioters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to step in, reestablish control and bring him back to power.

At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.

He was also banned from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.

The former president called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 presidential election.