🔗 Share this article

The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.

The one-time leader was convicted of planning a government overthrow in the ninth month and handed more than 27 years in incarceration, but he continued under home detention pending court reviews.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after fresh information came to light.

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

Court Filing Details Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said data from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the former leader's plan to remove the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his escape.

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

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

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or watch it all from your phone there on your couch? I urge you to battle with us."

He said the vigil would be so supporters could "pray for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the magistrate's decision was the possibility of the former president's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a history of organizing to seek refuge through a consular facility", a statement said.

The court filing underscores that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is situated around 8 miles from the former president's residence.

Worldwide Consequences

The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative American leader Donald Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

The former president is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will undergo a custody hearing on the next day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.

They also petitioned that the former president be allowed to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he demanded regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

The former president was convicted of heading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the national vote to his political opponent, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plot which involved plans to assassinate his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The scheme was thwarted because it failed to get the backing of the military leaders. Lula was sworn in without incident on January 1st, 2023.

But a following week, on 8 January, many his followers attacked and damaged public facilities in the national capital, Brazil's capital.

The security forces took action and around 1,500 people were arrested.

The justices found that the rioters had been incited by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to take action, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.

At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also barred from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The ex-leader called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.