🔗 Share this article

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

The ex-president was sentenced of planning a government overthrow in the ninth month and given more than 27 years in jail, but he was staying under home detention pending legal challenges.

High Court Judge the presiding justice said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after "new facts" were revealed.

This involved attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a call for a public vigil that could enable a possible escape.

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a filing authorising the detention, the magistrate said intelligence from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his getaway".

This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the protest called by his child.

His child, his son Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a gathering of his supporters near his father's house to take place on the weekend.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on last Friday: Will you battle for your country, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I call on you to fight with us."

He said the vigil would be so followers could offer prayers for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the chance of Bolsonaro's move to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of arranging to seek refuge through a embassy office", a statement said.

The legal document underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 8 miles from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative American leader President Trump, leading him to impose a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.

He is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will have a custody hearing on Sunday.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with digital surveillance.

They also asked that Bolsonaro be allowed to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he needed frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

He was determined responsible of heading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the presidential race to his political opponent, President Lula.

High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plot which encompassed plans to assassinate the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.

The plot was stopped because it failed to get the backing of the military leaders. Lula was sworn in without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a week later, on January 8th, many his backers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the national capital, the capital city.

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

The justices found that the protesters had been incited by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to take action, reestablish control and return him to office.

At the time, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.

He was also banned from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years after the completion of his term.

The former president called the court case a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 presidential election.