Jair Bolsonaro detained after being deemed a flight risk

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 the ninth month and sentenced more than a 27-year term in prison, but he remained under home detention pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the move to detain the elderly politician was a safety action after "new facts" came to light.

This included seeking to disable his tracking device and a summons to a public vigil that could facilitate a potential flight.

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a filing authorising the detention, Justice Moraes said information from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his son.

His child, his son Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a assembly of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I urge you to struggle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the chance of the former president's "relocation to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of organizing to ask for protection through a embassy office", a announcement said.

The legal document underscores that the United States embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is situated around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative American leader Donald Trump, causing him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will experience a detention review on the next day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the High Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.

They also requested that the former president be allowed to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he demanded ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.

Details of Guilty Verdict

The former president was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the 2022 election to his political opponent, Lula.

High Court judges said that he was aware of a scheme which encompassed plans to kill his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The scheme was stopped because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the military leaders. His successor was sworn in without incident on January 1st, 2023.

But a following week, on 8 January, thousands of his followers attacked and damaged official structures in the capital, the capital city.

The police intervened and around 1,500 people were arrested.

The justices found that the demonstrators had been incited by him whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, bring back stability and bring him back to power.

At the moment, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.

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

The ex-leader called the trial a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 presidential election.