The former Brazilian president arrested after being declared a flight risk

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Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.

The one-time leader was convicted of plotting a armed takeover in last fall and handed more than 27 years in jail, but he continued under home detention pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after "new facts" came to light.

This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a invitation to a public vigil that could enable a potential flight.

Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears

In a paperwork permitting the detention, the judge said information from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his flight.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the protest called by his child.

His son, Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his backers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.

His son wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your settee? I invite you to fight with us."

He said the vigil would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the judge's decision was the possibility of his move to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a record of organizing to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The court filing highlights that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is located around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

Global Responses

The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative American leader Trump, causing him to implement a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.

Bolsonaro is being kept in a national police facility in Brasilia and will experience a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with digital surveillance.

They also petitioned that he be permitted to leave his home for healthcare, saying he needed frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other illnesses.

Details of Guilty Verdict

He was found guilty of leading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the national vote to his political opponent, Lula.

High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plot which encompassed plans to kill Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.

The conspiracy was stopped because it failed to get the support of the military leaders. His successor was sworn in without issue on the first day of 2023.

But a week later, on the eighth of January, numerous his followers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the capital, the capital city.

The law enforcement took action and around 1,500 people were detained.

The judges found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, restore order and reinstate his authority.

At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.

He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.

The former president called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him running in the next presidential race.

Vickie Lawrence
Vickie Lawrence

AI researcher and software engineer with a passion for demystifying complex technologies through accessible writing.