Bolsonaro arrested after being deemed a risk of fleeing

Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.

The former head of state was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in the ninth month and sentenced more than 27 years in jail, but he continued under confinement pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" emerged.

This involved seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a demonstration that could facilitate a chance to flee".

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a paperwork permitting the custody, the judge said information from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his flight.

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

His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a senator, called for a meeting of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.

His son wrote on online platforms on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your settee? I invite you to battle 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 land."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the potential of Bolsonaro's transfer to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a record of organizing to request asylum through a embassy office", a announcement said.

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

Global Responses

His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative US President Donald Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.

The former president is being detained in a Federal Police station in the capital and will have a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with digital surveillance.

They also petitioned that he be allowed to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he needed frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

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

Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a scheme which included plans to murder Lula and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.

The scheme was stopped because it didn't receive the endorsement of the armed forces officials. The current president was sworn in without incident on January 1st, 2023.

But a following week, on 8 January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised government buildings in the national capital, Brazil's capital.

The police intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.

The judges found that the protesters had been provoked by him whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, bring back stability and bring him back to power.

At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.

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

The former president called the trial a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the next presidential race.