The former Brazilian president arrested after being declared a risk of fleeing

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Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.

The former head of state was found guilty of orchestrating a armed takeover in September and sentenced more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he remained under home detention pending legal challenges.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after recent developments were revealed.

This encompassed trying to remove his tracking device and a invitation to a demonstration that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears

In a document approving the arrest, the judge said information from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his getaway".

This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the protest called by his son.

His offspring, his son Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or see it all from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to fight with us."

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could "pray for his health and for the return of democracy in our nation."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's decision was the potential of Bolsonaro's "relocation to embassies near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a background of organizing to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.

The legal document highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brasilia, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.

Worldwide Consequences

The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist American leader President Trump, causing him to impose a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.

He is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a custody hearing on the following day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with digital surveillance.

They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be allowed to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he demanded regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other health problems.

Details of Guilty Verdict

He was determined responsible of leading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the national vote to his ideological adversary, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plot which included plans to assassinate the current president and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.

The plot was stopped because it failed to get the backing of the military leaders. Lula was sworn in without problem on 1 January 2023.

But a following week, on the eighth of January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed public facilities in the national capital, Brasília.

The security forces took action and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.

The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.

At the period, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.

He was also banned from seeking elected position until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.

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

James Newton
James Newton

A digital strategist with over a decade of experience in helping startups scale through innovative marketing campaigns.