🔗 Share this article

Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.

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

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after fresh information were revealed.

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

Judicial Records Show Escape Risks

In a paperwork permitting the custody, the magistrate said data from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the former leader's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his getaway".

This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his offspring.

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

The senator 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 settee? I invite you to fight with us."

He said the demonstration would be so backers could offer prayers for his health and for the return of democracy in our nation."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the potential of his move to embassies 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 underscores that the US embassy in the capital, the capital city, is positioned around 13km from his dwelling.

Worldwide Consequences

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative American leader Donald Trump, prompting him to enact a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

Bolsonaro is being held in a national police facility in Brasilia and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with tracking devices.

They also petitioned that he be allowed to depart his residence for medical care, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other health problems.

Details of Guilty Verdict

Bolsonaro was determined responsible of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plan which involved plans to assassinate Lula and his running partner, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The scheme was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the support of the army and air force commanders. The current president was inaugurated without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a week later, on the eighth of January, thousands of his backers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the federal district, the capital city.

The security forces stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.

The justices found that the protesters had been provoked by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to take action, restore order and return him to office.

At the period, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.

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

The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 national vote.