Jair Bolsonaro arrested after being considered a flight risk

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Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The ex-president was sentenced of planning a military coup in last fall and handed more than 27 years in prison, but he remained under home detention pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after recent developments emerged.

This included trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a summons to a public vigil that could "allow for a possible escape.

Court Filing Details Escape Risks

In a paperwork permitting the arrest, Justice Moraes said information from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his flight.

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

His child, Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a gathering of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.

His son wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Will you battle for your country, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I call on you to fight with us."

He said the vigil would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his health and for the return of democracy in our land."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the judge's ruling was the potential of the former president's move to embassies near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a background of arranging to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The judicial paperwork underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 8 miles from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist American leader Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will experience a imprisonment assessment on the following day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with tracking devices.

They also asked that the former president be authorized to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he needed regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Details of Guilty Verdict

The former president was convicted of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the national vote to his ideological adversary, Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a scheme which encompassed plans to kill Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.

The plot was prevented because it didn't receive the backing of the army and air force commanders. Lula was inaugurated without problem on 1 January 2023.

But a following week, on January 8th, numerous his backers attacked and damaged government buildings in the federal district, the capital city.

The security forces intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.

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

At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also banned from running for public office until 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.

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

Emily Washington
Emily Washington

Elara Vance is a sports journalist and event coordinator with over a decade of experience covering UK arenas and entertainment venues.