Bolsonaro arrested after being declared a flight risk

placeholder news image

The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.

The former head of state was convicted of planning a armed takeover in September and given more than 27 years in incarceration, but he continued under confinement pending court reviews.

High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after recent developments emerged.

This encompassed attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a public vigil that could enable a possible escape.

Court Filing Details Escape Risks

In a document approving the arrest, the magistrate said information from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his flight.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.

His offspring, Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.

The senator wrote on social media on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your sofa? I urge you to struggle with us."

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

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's ruling was the possibility of Bolsonaro's "relocation to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a record of arranging to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.

The legal document underscores that the US embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is located around 8 miles from his dwelling.

Global Responses

His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist US President Donald Trump, leading him to implement a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

Bolsonaro is being detained in a Federal Police station in the capital and will have a custody hearing on the next day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with tracking devices.

They also petitioned that the former president be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

He was found guilty of heading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the presidential race to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

High Court judges said that he knew of a plot which encompassed plans to murder Lula and his running partner, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.

The plot was stopped because it didn't receive the endorsement of the military leaders. His successor was inaugurated without issue on January 1st, 2023.

But a following week, on the eighth of January, many Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged public facilities in the capital, the capital city.

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

The magistrates found that the protesters had been encouraged by him whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, restore order and return him to office.

At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".

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

The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 presidential election.

Heather Williams
Heather Williams

A blockchain developer and tech writer with over 8 years of experience in cryptocurrency projects and decentralized applications.