Bolsonaro arrested after being deemed a flight risk

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

The ex-president was found guilty of plotting a armed takeover in last fall and sentenced more than 27 years in incarceration, but he continued under house arrest pending appeals.

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

This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a potential flight.

Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears

In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said data from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".

This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his son.

His son, his son Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a gathering of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.

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

He said the gathering would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the return of democracy in our nation."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the chance of his transfer to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a record of arranging to seek refuge through a consular facility", a statement said.

The court filing underscores that the United States embassy in the capital, the capital city, is situated around 13km from his dwelling.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist United States President Donald Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.

He is being kept in a national police facility in the capital and will have a custody hearing on the following day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.

They also requested that he be authorized to leave his home for medical care, saying he needed regular treatment for lung conditions and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

He was convicted of heading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the national vote to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plot which encompassed plans to assassinate Lula and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing the former president's case.

The plot was thwarted because it failed to get the endorsement of the military leaders. Lula was took office without problem on 1 January 2023.

But a following week, on the eighth of January, many his followers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the national capital, Brasília.

The security forces intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.

The judges found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by him whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, restore order and return him to office.

At the period, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also banned from running for public office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.

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