🔗 Share this article

The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.

The former head of state was sentenced of plotting a government overthrow in September and sentenced more than a 27-year term in jail, but he continued under confinement pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after fresh information came to light.

This encompassed seeking to disable his tracking device and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a possible escape.

Court Filing Details Escape Risks

In a document approving the custody, the magistrate said information from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his flight.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the protest called by his offspring.

His son, Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a gathering of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.

The senator wrote on social media on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or observe everything from your phone there on your couch? I invite you to fight with us."

He said the vigil would be so followers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the magistrate's determination was the chance of Bolsonaro's move to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a history of planning to seek refuge through a consular facility", a statement said.

The court filing emphasizes that the United States embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.

International Reactions

His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist US President Donald Trump, prompting him to impose a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

The former president is being held in a national police facility in Brasilia and will have a imprisonment assessment on the following day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with tracking devices.

They also asked that Bolsonaro be permitted to leave his home for healthcare, saying he required regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.

Context of Sentencing

The former president was found guilty of heading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, President Lula.

High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a scheme which involved plans to assassinate Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing his judicial proceedings.

The plot was prevented because it didn't receive the backing of the army and air force commanders. His successor was took office without problem on 1 January 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, many his followers attacked and damaged public facilities in the federal district, Brasília.

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

The judges found that the protesters had been incited by him whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to step in, bring back stability and return him to office.

At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the end of his sentence.

The former president called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him running in the next presidential race.