🔗 Share this article

The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities determined 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 sentenced more than over two decades in jail, but he remained under house arrest pending legal challenges.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" were revealed.

This included trying to remove his tracking device and a summons to a public vigil that could enable a possible escape.

Judicial Records Show Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the detention, Justice Moraes said information from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his getaway".

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

His offspring, his son Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a gathering of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.

His son wrote on online platforms on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I call on you to struggle 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."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the judge's determination was the chance of Bolsonaro's transfer to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a background of planning to seek refuge through a consular facility", a statement said.

The legal document highlights that the US embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is located around 13km from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative American leader Donald Trump, leading him to impose a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

He is being held in a Federal Police station in the capital and will undergo a detention review on the next day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

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

They also petitioned that he be allowed to leave his home for healthcare, saying he demanded regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was found guilty of orchestrating a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Lula.

High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plan which involved plans to murder the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over the former president's case.

The conspiracy was prevented because it didn't receive the endorsement of the military leaders. The current president was took office without problem on the first day of 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed public facilities in the federal district, Brasília.

The police took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.

The judges found that the protesters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, reestablish control and return him to office.

At the time, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.

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

The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 presidential election.