The former Brazilian president detained after being declared a risk of fleeing

placeholder news image

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

The ex-president was sentenced of planning a government overthrow in last fall and handed more than over two decades in prison, but he was staying under confinement pending appeals.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" were revealed.

This included attempting to break his ankle monitor and a invitation to a demonstration that could "allow for a potential flight.

Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears

In a paperwork permitting the detention, the magistrate said intelligence from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his flight.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his child.

His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.

His son wrote on online platforms on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or see it all from your phone there on your couch? I invite you to battle with us."

He said the vigil would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his health and for the return of democracy in our land."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the chance of his transfer to embassies near the home, considering that the probes revealed a background of planning to ask for protection through a consular facility", a statement said.

The legal document highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, the capital city, is situated around 8 miles from the former president's residence.

International Reactions

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

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

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be authorized to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other ailments.

Details of Guilty Verdict

Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the national vote to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plot which encompassed plans to murder his opponent and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.

The plot was stopped because it didn't receive the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. The current president was sworn in without problem on the first day of 2023.

But a following week, on January 8th, numerous his backers attacked and damaged government buildings in the national capital, Brazil's capital.

The law enforcement stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.

The justices found that the protesters had been incited by him whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, reestablish control and bring him back to power.

At the time, the legal team called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.

He was also banned from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.

The ex-leader called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.

Zachary Jacobson
Zachary Jacobson

Elara is a passionate cyclist and outdoor adventurer, sharing insights from years of exploring trails worldwide.