The former Brazilian president arrested after being deemed a escape threat

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Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The ex-president was convicted of planning a government overthrow in the ninth month and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he was staying under home detention pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" emerged.

This encompassed attempting to break his tracking device and a summons to a demonstration that could facilitate a chance to flee".

Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears

In a filing authorising the custody, Justice Moraes said information from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the former leader's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his escape.

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

His child, Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a gathering of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.

The senator wrote on social media on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I urge you to fight with us."

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could "pray for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the magistrate's determination was the possibility of the former president's "relocation to embassies near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of organizing to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The court filing highlights that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 8 miles from his dwelling.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist US President Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

He is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will undergo a detention review on the following day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.

They also requested that the former president be permitted to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he demanded regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Details of Guilty Verdict

He was convicted of leading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the national vote to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plot which involved plans to kill the current president and his running partner, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.

The conspiracy was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. His successor was sworn in without incident on January 1st, 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, thousands of his followers attacked and damaged government buildings in the capital, the capital city.

The police took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.

The magistrates found that the rioters had been encouraged by him whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, restore order and reinstate his authority.

At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also prohibited from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.

The one-time head of state called the trial a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the next presidential race.

Dennis Kelley
Dennis Kelley

Elara Vance is a tech journalist and AI researcher with over a decade of experience covering digital transformation and emerging technologies.