🔗 Share this article Bolsonaro taken into custody after being considered a risk of fleeing The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention. The former head of state was found guilty of orchestrating a government overthrow in last fall and sentenced more than 27 years in prison, but he continued under house arrest pending court reviews. Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after recent developments emerged. This included seeking to disable his tracking device and a invitation to a demonstration that could enable a possible escape. Court Filing Details Escape Risks In a document approving the custody, the judge said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his getaway". This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the protest called by his child. His child, Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a assembly of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend. His son wrote on social media on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I invite you to fight with us." He said the gathering would be so backers could "pray for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land." Embassy Asylum Concerns Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the chance of Bolsonaro's move to embassies near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a background of organizing to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said. The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the US embassy in the capital, the capital city, is located around 8 miles from the former president's residence. International Reactions Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist American leader President Trump, leading him to enact a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports. He is being held in a national police facility in Brasilia and will have a custody hearing on Sunday. Recent Judicial Appeals It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with digital surveillance. They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be authorized to leave his home for medical care, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other health problems. Background on Conviction Bolsonaro was convicted of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plot which encompassed plans to murder his opponent and his running partner, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial. The plot was thwarted because it failed to get the backing of the military leaders. Lula was sworn in without incident on January 1st, 2023. But a week later, on 8 January, thousands of his backers attacked and damaged government buildings in the capital, Brasília. The police stepped in and around 1,500 people were arrested. The magistrates found that the protesters had been encouraged by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, bring back stability and bring him back to power. At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh. He was also barred from running for public office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence. The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 presidential election.