🔗 Share this article The former Brazilian president detained after being declared a flight risk Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest. The one-time leader was found guilty of planning a government overthrow in September and given more than over two decades in prison, but he continued under house arrest pending legal challenges. Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the move to detain the elderly politician was a precautionary step after recent developments were revealed. This involved attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a summons to a demonstration that could "allow for a chance to flee". Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns In a filing authorising the custody, the judge said information from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his flight. This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his offspring. His offspring, his son Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a assembly of his supporters near his father's house to take place on the weekend. Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Will you battle for your country, or observe everything from your phone there on your couch? I call on you to fight with us." He said the vigil would be so supporters could "pray for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation." Diplomatic Refuge Fears Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the possibility of the former president's transfer to embassies near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of planning to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said. The court filing emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brasilia, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence. Worldwide Consequences Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist American leader Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports. He is being held 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 last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring. They also requested that the former president be permitted to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he required frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other illnesses. Details of Guilty Verdict He was convicted of orchestrating a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the national vote to his political opponent, Lula. Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a scheme which included plans to murder the current president and his running partner, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over the former president's case. The conspiracy was stopped because it couldn't obtain the backing of the military leaders. His successor was inaugurated without problem on January 1st, 2023. But a following week, on 8 January, thousands of his followers stormed and vandalised official structures in the capital, Brasília. The security forces took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained. The judges found that the protesters had been incited by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, reestablish control and reinstate his authority. At the time, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive. He was also banned from campaigning for office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence. The one-time head of state called the trial a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 presidential election.