🔗 Share this article

The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.

The one-time leader was found guilty of plotting a government overthrow in September and sentenced more than over two decades in jail, but he remained under confinement pending legal challenges.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" were revealed.

This involved trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a demonstration that could facilitate a possible escape.

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a paperwork permitting the detention, the judge said data from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his flight.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his child.

His offspring, his son Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a assembly of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or see it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I urge you to struggle with us."

He said the vigil would be so followers could "pray for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the judge's ruling was the chance of his move to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a background of arranging to request asylum through a embassy office", a declaration said.

The court filing emphasizes that the United States embassy in the capital, the capital city, is located around 13km from his dwelling.

Global Responses

His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative United States President Trump, causing him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

The former president is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the next day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also asked that Bolsonaro be authorized to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he required ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other health problems.

Context of Sentencing

Bolsonaro was determined responsible of orchestrating a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plan which encompassed plans to murder his opponent and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.

The plot was thwarted because it didn't receive the backing of the army and air force commanders. Lula was sworn in without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a week later, on January 8th, many his backers attacked and damaged government buildings in the federal district, Brazil's capital.

The police intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.

The judges found that the rioters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to take action, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.

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

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

The former president called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the next presidential race.