🔗 Share this article

Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.

The one-time leader was found guilty of plotting a armed takeover in the ninth month and given more than 27 years in prison, but he remained under home detention pending appeals.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after fresh information were revealed.

This included trying to remove his ankle monitor and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears

In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said information from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his getaway".

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his child.

His son, his son Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a gathering of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.

The senator wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Will you battle for your homeland, or see it all from your phone there on your settee? I call on you to battle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the return of democracy in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the judge's determination was the possibility of his transfer to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a background of planning to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.

The judicial paperwork highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, the capital city, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.

Global Responses

The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist United States President President Trump, leading him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being held in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a detention review on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

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

They also requested that he be authorized to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he required regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.

Context of Sentencing

The former president was determined responsible of heading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the national vote to his political opponent, President Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plan which encompassed plans to kill his opponent and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been managing his judicial proceedings.

The plot was stopped because it didn't receive the support of the army and air force commanders. Lula was inaugurated without problem on the first day of 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, thousands of his backers invaded and destroyed official structures in the capital, the capital city.

The police stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.

The magistrates found that the rioters had been encouraged by him whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to take action, reestablish control and bring him back to power.

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

He was also banned from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.