Bolsonaro arrested after being declared a flight risk

The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.

The former head of state was convicted of plotting a armed takeover in September and handed more than a 27-year term in prison, but he remained under confinement pending court reviews.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after fresh information were revealed.

This encompassed trying to remove his ankle monitor and a invitation to a demonstration that could enable a potential flight.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns

In a document approving the arrest, the judge said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his escape.

This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his son.

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

His son wrote on online platforms on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I urge you to fight with us."

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

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the judge's ruling was the possibility of Bolsonaro's transfer to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a background of organizing to ask for protection through a embassy office", a announcement said.

The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

Global Responses

The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist United States President President Trump, leading him to impose a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.

Bolsonaro is being detained in a national police facility in Brasilia and will experience a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with digital surveillance.

They also asked that the former president be authorized to leave his home for medical care, saying he required ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.

Context of Sentencing

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

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plan which included plans to kill Lula and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.

The conspiracy was stopped because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. His successor was sworn in without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed public facilities in the federal district, Brasília.

The police took action and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.

The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been incited by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, restore order and reinstate his authority.

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

He was also banned from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the end of his sentence.

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