Jair Bolsonaro arrested after being declared a risk of fleeing

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The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.

The one-time leader was found guilty of plotting a military coup in last fall and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he remained under house arrest pending appeals.

High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a preventative measure after fresh information were revealed.

This involved seeking to disable his tracking device and a invitation to a demonstration that could facilitate a possible escape.

Court Filing Details Escape Concerns

In a document approving the arrest, the magistrate said data from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the former leader's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his escape.

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

His offspring, Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a meeting of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.

The senator wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Will you battle for your nation, or see it all from your phone there on your couch? I call on you to struggle with us."

He said the gathering would be so backers could "pray for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the judge's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's "relocation to foreign missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a history of organizing to request asylum through a consular facility", a declaration said.

The judicial paperwork underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.

Worldwide Consequences

His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist American leader President Trump, causing him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

The former president is being detained in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a detention review on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.

They also asked that he be authorized to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he required regular treatment for lung conditions and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was convicted of orchestrating a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the presidential race to his left-wing rival, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plan which involved plans to murder his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The scheme was stopped because it didn't receive the endorsement of the military leaders. Lula was sworn in without issue on the first day of 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, many his backers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the capital, Brazil's capital.

The police took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.

The magistrates found that the protesters had been provoked by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, restore order and reinstate his authority.

At the time, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.

He was also barred from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The ex-leader called the court case a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 national vote.

Robert Richards
Robert Richards

A Toronto-based tech journalist and business analyst with over a decade of experience covering North American markets.