The former Brazilian president taken into custody after being deemed a flight risk

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Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.

The one-time leader was found guilty of orchestrating a government overthrow in the ninth month and handed more than 27 years in incarceration, but he continued under confinement pending appeals.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a preventative measure after fresh information came to light.

This involved seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks

In a document approving the detention, the judge said intelligence from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the surveillance device to ensure success in his flight.

This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.

His offspring, his son Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his followers 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 homeland, or see it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I invite you to battle with us."

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

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the judge's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's move to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a background of organizing to seek refuge through a embassy office", a announcement said.

The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the capital, the capital city, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.

International Reactions

The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist US President President Trump, leading him to implement a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.

The former president is being held in a Federal Police station in the capital and will experience a detention review on the following 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 home confinement, with tracking devices.

They also requested that he be authorized to leave his home for medical care, saying he demanded regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other ailments.

Context of Sentencing

Bolsonaro was found guilty of heading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a scheme which included plans to kill Lula and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.

The scheme was thwarted because it didn't receive the backing of the army and air force commanders. Lula was sworn in without incident on January 1st, 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, many his backers stormed and vandalised official structures in the federal district, Brasília.

The security forces stepped in and around 1,500 people were arrested.

The judges found that the protesters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to step in, reestablish control and bring him back to power.

At the moment, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also banned from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years after the completion of his term.

The former president called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the next presidential race.

Lisa Hill
Lisa Hill

A digital strategist with over a decade of experience in UK tech startups, specializing in SEO and content marketing.