The former Brazilian president detained after being declared a escape threat

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Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The former head of state was convicted of planning a military coup in the ninth month and given more than a 27-year term in prison, but he remained under confinement pending appeals.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after recent developments came to light.

This involved attempting to break his ankle monitor and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could enable a possible escape.

Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns

In a document approving the arrest, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his escape.

This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the protest called by his son.

His son, Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.

His son wrote on social media on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I invite you to struggle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could "pray for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's decision was the possibility of Bolsonaro's transfer to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a background of arranging to ask for protection through a embassy office", a statement said.

The legal document emphasizes that the US embassy in the capital, the capital city, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.

Worldwide Consequences

His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist United States President President Trump, causing him to implement a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.

The former president is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will experience a imprisonment assessment on the next day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.

They also requested that he be authorized to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he required regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other ailments.

Details of Guilty Verdict

The former president was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the 2022 election to his political opponent, President Lula.

High Court judges said that he was aware of a scheme which involved plans to murder his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing the former president's case.

The scheme was stopped because it couldn't obtain the backing of the army and air force commanders. His successor was inaugurated without issue on January 1st, 2023.

But a following week, on 8 January, many his backers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the capital, Brasília.

The police took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.

The justices found that the demonstrators had been incited by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, bring back stability and bring him back to power.

At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.

He was also barred from running for public office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.

The former president called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 national vote.

Lisa Clay
Lisa Clay

A city planner and writer passionate about documenting urban transformations and community-driven initiatives.