🔗 Share this article Bolsonaro arrested after being declared a risk of fleeing The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement. The one-time leader was convicted of plotting a military coup in the ninth month and given more than a 27-year term in jail, but he continued under house arrest pending court reviews. High Court Judge the presiding justice said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after fresh information emerged. This involved attempting to break his tracking device and a call for a public vigil that could enable a potential flight. Judicial Records Show Flight Fears In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said data from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's aim to disable the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his flight. This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his offspring. His offspring, Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a assembly of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend. The senator wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or see it all from your mobile device there on your settee? 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 return of democracy in our nation." Embassy Asylum Concerns Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the chance of his move to foreign missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a history of planning to seek refuge through a consular facility", a statement said. The court filing highlights that the United States embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence. International Reactions His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist American leader Trump, leading him to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports. He is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the next day. Recent Judicial Appeals It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with digital surveillance. They also asked that Bolsonaro be permitted to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he required regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other health problems. Context of Sentencing Bolsonaro was convicted of orchestrating a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the national vote to his political opponent, President Lula. Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a scheme which encompassed plans to murder the current president and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial. The scheme was thwarted because it failed to get the support of the military leaders. Lula was sworn in without problem on January 1st, 2023. But a week later, on 8 January, many his followers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the national capital, the capital city. The police took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody. The judges found that the demonstrators had been incited by him whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to step in, restore order and return him to office. At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh. He was also banned from running for public office until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment. The ex-leader called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 presidential election.