🔗 Share this article

The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.

The former head of state was found guilty of plotting a government overthrow in September and given more than a 27-year term in prison, but he was staying under home detention pending appeals.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after fresh information were revealed.

This encompassed seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a summons to a public vigil that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a document approving the arrest, the magistrate said intelligence from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his flight.

This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his son.

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

The senator wrote on social media on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I call on you to battle with us."

He said the gathering would be so followers could offer prayers for his health and for the return of democracy in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's ruling was the chance of his move to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a record of organizing to request asylum through a consular facility", a statement said.

The legal document emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, the capital city, is positioned around 13km from his dwelling.

Global Responses

His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist American leader Donald Trump, causing him to enact a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

The former president is being kept in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a detention review on the next day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with digital surveillance.

They also petitioned that the former president be permitted to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

He was determined responsible of heading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the national vote to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plot which included plans to kill his opponent and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.

The plot was stopped because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. The current president was sworn in without problem on 1 January 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed government buildings in the capital, Brasília.

The police intervened and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.

The judges found that the protesters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.

At the moment, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also banned from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.

The ex-leader called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the next presidential race.