Bolsonaro arrested after being declared a risk of fleeing

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The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.

The former head of state was sentenced of orchestrating a armed takeover in the ninth month and handed more than a 27-year term in prison, but he remained under house arrest pending appeals.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" were revealed.

This included seeking to disable his tracking device and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a potential flight.

Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns

In a document approving the custody, Justice Moraes said data from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the protest called by his offspring.

His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a legislator, called for a meeting of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.

The senator wrote on online platforms on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or watch it all from your phone there on your sofa? I urge you to fight with us."

He said the vigil would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the return of democracy in our country."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the possibility of the former president's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a background of planning to ask for protection through a consular facility", a announcement said.

The legal document emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 13km from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist United States President Trump, prompting him to implement a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.

He is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a detention review on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be permitted to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other illnesses.

Context of Sentencing

The former president was determined responsible of leading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the presidential race to his ideological adversary, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a scheme which encompassed plans to kill his opponent and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.

The conspiracy was stopped because it failed to get the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. Lula was took office without problem on January 1st, 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, many Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged official structures in the national capital, Brasília.

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

The justices found that the demonstrators had been provoked by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, restore order and bring him back to power.

At the time, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.

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

The ex-leader called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 presidential election.

Anna Welch
Anna Welch

Mikael Voss is a passionate gaming journalist with over a decade of experience covering esports and indie game development.