🔗 Share this article

Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.

The former head of state was found guilty of orchestrating a military coup in last fall and sentenced more than 27 years in prison, but he was staying under confinement pending court reviews.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" came to light.

This encompassed seeking to disable his tracking device and a call for a public vigil that could enable a potential flight.

Court Filing Details Escape Risks

In a document approving the arrest, Justice Moraes said data from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his escape.

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

His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his followers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.

His son wrote on digital networks on Friday: Will you battle for your country, or watch it all from your phone there on your couch? I invite you to struggle with us."

He said the vigil would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the chance of Bolsonaro's transfer to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a history of arranging to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.

The legal document highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, the capital city, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.

Worldwide Consequences

The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist US President President Trump, prompting him to impose a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.

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

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with digital surveillance.

They also requested that the former president be permitted to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he demanded regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.

Context of Sentencing

Bolsonaro was determined responsible of leading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plot which encompassed plans to murder Lula and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over the former president's case.

The scheme was stopped because it didn't receive the backing of the army and air force commanders. His successor was sworn in without problem on the first day of 2023.

But a week later, on January 8th, numerous his backers invaded and destroyed official structures in the national capital, the capital city.

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

The magistrates found that the protesters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, bring back stability and return him to office.

At the moment, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.

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