🔗 Share this article

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

The former head of state was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in September and sentenced more than over two decades in prison, but he remained under home detention pending court reviews.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after recent developments were revealed.

This involved trying to remove his tracking device and a call for a supporters' gathering that could enable a potential flight.

Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns

In a paperwork permitting the custody, Justice Moraes said information from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the tracking monitor to ensure success in his flight.

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

His child, Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.

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

He said the gathering would be so followers could "pray for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the possibility of Bolsonaro's transfer to foreign missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a record of arranging to seek refuge through a consular facility", a declaration said.

The court filing emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, the capital city, is positioned around 13km from his dwelling.

Worldwide Consequences

The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist American leader President Trump, causing him to impose a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.

He is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will experience a custody hearing on the next day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with tracking devices.

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

Details of Guilty Verdict

He was convicted of heading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plot which encompassed plans to assassinate Lula and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The conspiracy was stopped because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the armed forces officials. Lula was took office without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, numerous his followers attacked and damaged official structures in the federal district, Brasília.

The law enforcement stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.

The judges found that the protesters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, restore order and bring him back to power.

At the moment, the legal team called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".

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

The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.