The former Brazilian president arrested after being deemed a flight risk

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

The former head of state was found guilty of planning a armed takeover in September and given more than 27 years in incarceration, but he was staying under home detention pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after recent developments emerged.

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

Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears

In a document approving the custody, the magistrate said data from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the former leader's plan to remove the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".

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

His offspring, his son Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a gathering of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.

The senator wrote on social media on the previous day: Will you battle for your country, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I invite you to battle with us."

He said the vigil would be so supporters could offer prayers for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our country."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the magistrate's ruling was the chance of his move to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of planning to seek refuge through a consular facility", a announcement said.

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

Global Responses

His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative American leader President Trump, leading him to implement a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will undergo a detention review on the next day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with digital surveillance.

They also petitioned that the former president be authorized to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he required frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

The former president was convicted of heading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the national vote to his ideological adversary, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plot which involved plans to assassinate his opponent and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been managing his judicial proceedings.

The plot was prevented because it couldn't obtain the backing of the military leaders. His successor was took office without problem on January 1st, 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, thousands of his backers invaded and destroyed official structures in the federal district, the capital city.

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

The justices found that the protesters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, restore order and return him to office.

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

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

The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the next presidential race.

Mark Ibarra
Mark Ibarra

A software engineer and tech writer passionate about AI ethics and digital transformation, with over a decade in Silicon Valley.