🔗 Share this article

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

The former head of state was found guilty of planning a military coup in last fall and handed more than 27 years in incarceration, but he continued under confinement pending legal challenges.

High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a precautionary step after fresh information were revealed.

This involved trying to remove his tracking device and a summons to a demonstration that could facilitate a possible escape.

Court Filing Details Flight Fears

In a document approving the custody, the judge said information from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the surveillance device to ensure success in his flight.

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

His offspring, Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a gathering of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on Friday: Will you battle for your country, or watch it all from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to battle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's ruling was the possibility of the former president's "relocation to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a background of organizing to seek refuge through a consular facility", a statement said.

The judicial paperwork underscores that the US embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist US President President Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being detained in a Federal Police station in the capital and will have a detention review on the following day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.

They also requested that Bolsonaro be allowed to leave his home for medical care, saying he needed frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was found guilty of heading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

High Court judges said that he was aware of a plot which involved plans to murder Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over the former president's case.

The plot was prevented because it failed to get the backing of the armed forces officials. The current president was took office without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a following week, on 8 January, many his backers stormed and vandalised official structures in the capital, Brazil's capital.

The police stepped in and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.

The judges found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.

At the period, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also banned from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The ex-leader called the court case a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 presidential election.