The former Brazilian president detained after being considered a flight risk

placeholder news image

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

The ex-president was sentenced of orchestrating a government overthrow in September and handed more than 27 years in incarceration, but he was staying under home detention pending court reviews.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" emerged.

This encompassed trying to remove his tracking device and a call for a demonstration that could enable a possible escape.

Court Filing Details Escape Risks

In a paperwork permitting the detention, the judge said data from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his offspring.

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

His son wrote on online platforms on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or see it all from your phone there on your settee? I call on you to battle with us."

He said the gathering would be so supporters could offer prayers for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the magistrate's decision was the possibility of his move to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a history of arranging to seek refuge through a embassy office", a announcement said.

The judicial paperwork highlights that the US embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 13km from his dwelling.

International Reactions

His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist US President President Trump, leading him to impose a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.

Bolsonaro is being kept in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a detention review on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

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 domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also petitioned that he be permitted to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other illnesses.

Context of Sentencing

Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the presidential race to his political opponent, President Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a scheme which included plans to kill the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.

The plot was prevented because it didn't receive the endorsement of the military leaders. The current president was inaugurated without problem on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, thousands of his followers attacked and damaged public facilities in the capital, the capital city.

The police stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.

The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been incited by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, reestablish control and bring him back to power.

At the period, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also prohibited from running for public office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him competing in the next presidential race.

Deborah Simpson
Deborah Simpson

A UK-based writer and lifestyle enthusiast sharing personal journeys and practical insights.