🔗 Share this article

Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.

The former head of state was found guilty of orchestrating a government overthrow in September and given more than a 27-year term in jail, but he was staying under house arrest pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a safety action after recent developments were revealed.

This included seeking to disable his tracking device and a invitation to a public vigil that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the detention, the magistrate said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his son.

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

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Will you battle for your homeland, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your settee? I invite you to struggle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so backers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the potential of the former president's transfer to embassies near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a background of arranging to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.

The judicial paperwork highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, the capital city, is positioned around 8 miles from his dwelling.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist American leader Donald Trump, prompting him to enact a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.

He is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will experience a custody hearing on the following day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with digital surveillance.

They also asked that he be authorized to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he demanded regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other health problems.

Context of Sentencing

He was found guilty of leading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

High Court judges said that he was aware of a scheme which involved plans to assassinate his opponent and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been overseeing the former president's case.

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

But a following week, on 8 January, numerous his backers attacked and damaged official structures in the national capital, Brazil's capital.

The law enforcement took action and around 1,500 people were arrested.

The magistrates found that the rioters had been encouraged by him whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, reestablish control and return him to office.

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

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

The one-time head of state called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 presidential election.