🔗 Share this article

The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.

The former head of state was sentenced of orchestrating a government overthrow in September and given more than a 27-year term in prison, but he remained under home detention pending legal challenges.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" were revealed.

This encompassed trying to remove his tracking device and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a potential flight.

Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns

In a document approving the arrest, the judge said data from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his getaway".

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

His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I urge you to fight with us."

He said the vigil would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the judge's decision was the chance of his transfer to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of planning to request asylum through a consular facility", a announcement said.

The legal document underscores that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative American leader Trump, prompting him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being detained in a Federal Police station in the capital and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.

They also requested that he be permitted to depart his residence for medical care, saying he needed frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Context of Sentencing

Bolsonaro was determined responsible of heading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the national vote to his political opponent, Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plan which encompassed plans to murder Lula and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.

The plot was stopped because it failed to get the support of the military leaders. Lula was sworn in without issue on 1 January 2023.

But a following week, on 8 January, many Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed public facilities in the federal district, Brasília.

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

The judges found that the rioters had been provoked by him whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.

At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also banned from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 national vote.