The former Brazilian president detained after being deemed a risk of fleeing

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Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.

The ex-president was found guilty of orchestrating a government overthrow in the ninth month and given more than 27 years in incarceration, but he remained under confinement pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official 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 ankle monitor and a call for a supporters' gathering that could enable a possible escape.

Judicial Records Show Escape Risks

In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said information from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the surveillance device to ensure success in his flight.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his child.

His offspring, his son Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a gathering of his followers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.

His son wrote on digital networks on Friday: Will you battle for your country, or see it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I invite you to fight with us."

He said the demonstration would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the chance of the former president's move to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of planning to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.

The legal document emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brazil's capital, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.

Global Responses

The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative American leader President Trump, prompting him to enact a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.

The former president is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will have a detention review on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

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

They also asked that the former president be permitted to leave his home for medical care, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.

Context of Sentencing

He was convicted of orchestrating a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

High Court judges said that he knew of a plot which included plans to assassinate his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.

The plot was thwarted because it didn't receive the support of the armed forces officials. The current president was sworn in without issue on January 1st, 2023.

But a following week, on January 8th, numerous Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed government buildings in the capital, the capital city.

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

The magistrates found that the protesters had been provoked by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, reestablish control and bring him back to power.

At the time, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also barred from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.

The one-time head of state called the trial a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 presidential election.

Heather Griffin
Heather Griffin

A tech journalist with over a decade of experience covering digital transformation and startup ecosystems across Europe.