Jair Bolsonaro taken into custody after being declared a flight risk

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Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.

The one-time leader was sentenced of orchestrating a government overthrow in September and given more than a 27-year term in jail, but he continued under home detention pending appeals.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after fresh information emerged.

This included attempting to break his ankle monitor and a call for a demonstration that could "allow for a possible escape.

Court Filing Details Flight Fears

In a filing authorising the custody, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest 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 assisted by the chaos caused by the protest called by his child.

His child, his son Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a meeting of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.

His son wrote on online platforms on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I invite you to struggle with us."

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

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the chance of his "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a history of organizing to ask for protection through a embassy office", a announcement said.

The legal document underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brasilia, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.

International Reactions

His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist United States President Donald Trump, leading him to enact a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.

The former president is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will experience a imprisonment assessment on the following 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 digital surveillance.

They also requested that Bolsonaro be authorized to leave his home for healthcare, saying he needed regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.

Details of Guilty Verdict

Bolsonaro was convicted of leading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plot which encompassed plans to assassinate his opponent and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.

The plot was stopped because it failed to get the backing of the armed forces officials. His successor was sworn in without problem on January 1st, 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, numerous his backers attacked and damaged public facilities in the national capital, Brasília.

The law enforcement took action and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.

The judges found that the rioters had been encouraged by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, reestablish control and return him to office.

At the moment, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.

He was also banned from running for public office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the next presidential race.

Melissa Molina
Melissa Molina

A UK-based tech journalist with over a decade of experience covering digital innovation and consumer electronics.