🔗 Share this article

Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.

The former head of state was found guilty of planning a military coup in last fall and sentenced more than a 27-year term in prison, but he was staying under house arrest pending appeals.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" were revealed.

This included seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a demonstration that could facilitate a potential flight.

Judicial Records Show Escape Risks

In a document approving the detention, the judge said intelligence from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the former leader's plan to remove the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his flight.

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

His offspring, Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a meeting of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.

The senator wrote on social media on Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I invite you to fight with us."

He said the demonstration would be so backers could "pray for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the chance of Bolsonaro's transfer to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of arranging to ask for protection through a embassy office", a announcement said.

The court filing underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, the capital city, is located around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.

Worldwide Consequences

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist United States President Trump, causing him to impose a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.

Bolsonaro is being held in a national police facility in the capital and will have a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with tracking devices.

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

Context of Sentencing

He was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the presidential race to his ideological adversary, President Lula.

High Court judges said that he knew of a scheme which encompassed plans to assassinate his opponent and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.

The plot was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the armed forces officials. Lula was inaugurated without incident on January 1st, 2023.

But a seven days after, on January 8th, thousands of his followers attacked and damaged official structures in the capital, the capital city.

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

The judges found that the rioters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.

At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also banned from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the completion of his term.

The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 national vote.