🔗 Share this article

Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The ex-president was found guilty of orchestrating a government overthrow in last fall and given more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he remained under home detention pending court reviews.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after recent developments were revealed.

This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could enable a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the custody, the judge said information from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his getaway".

This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.

His son, Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a assembly of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.

The senator wrote on social media on last Friday: Will you battle for your country, or watch it all from your phone there on your settee? I invite you to struggle with us."

He said the gathering would be so backers could "pray for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's ruling was the possibility of the former president's move to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of organizing to request asylum through a consular facility", a announcement said.

The judicial paperwork highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist US President Trump, leading him to implement a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.

Bolsonaro is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a custody hearing on the next day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with tracking devices.

They also asked that the former president be allowed to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he required frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

The former president was found guilty of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, President Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a scheme which included plans to kill Lula and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.

The conspiracy was stopped because it couldn't obtain the backing of the armed forces officials. Lula was inaugurated without problem on January 1st, 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, many Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged official structures in the capital, Brasília.

The security forces intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals 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 bring him back to power.

At the period, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.

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

The one-time head of state called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 presidential election.