The former Brazilian president taken into custody after being considered a flight risk

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The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.

The former head of state was convicted of orchestrating a government overthrow in last fall and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he was staying under confinement pending appeals.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" came to light.

This involved attempting to break his tracking device and a call for a public vigil that could facilitate a potential flight.

Court Filing Details Escape Concerns

In a paperwork permitting the arrest, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's plan to remove the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his flight.

This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the protest called by his son.

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

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Will you battle for your country, or see it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I urge you to fight with us."

He said the demonstration would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the chance of the former president's transfer to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of organizing to seek refuge through a consular facility", a announcement said.

The legal document underscores that the US embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist United States President President Trump, prompting him to implement a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

The former president is being detained in a national police facility in the capital and will have 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 High Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with tracking devices.

They also requested that he be allowed to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he needed frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

He was convicted of orchestrating a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a scheme which included plans to kill Lula and his running partner, Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been managing the former president's case.

The plot was stopped because it didn't receive the endorsement of the armed forces officials. The current president was inaugurated without issue on 1 January 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged official structures in the federal district, Brazil's capital.

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

The judges found that the rioters had been incited by him whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, bring back stability and bring him back to power.

At the period, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also banned from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.

The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 national vote.

Jennifer Baldwin
Jennifer Baldwin

A tech journalist with over a decade of experience covering UK innovation and digital transformation trends.