Jair Bolsonaro arrested after being deemed a flight risk

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

The one-time leader was found guilty of plotting a government overthrow in last fall and handed more than over two decades in prison, but he continued under confinement pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after recent developments were revealed.

This included trying to remove his ankle monitor and a call for a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears

In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said information from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the former leader's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his flight.

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

His child, Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a gathering of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.

The senator wrote on social media on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I call on you to struggle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the possibility of Bolsonaro's move to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a record of organizing to request asylum through a consular facility", a statement said.

The court filing underscores that the US embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 8 miles from his dwelling.

International Reactions

His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist American leader Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.

He is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the next day.

Latest Court Petitions

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

They also requested that Bolsonaro be authorized to leave his home for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

The former president was convicted of orchestrating a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

High Court judges said that he knew of a plan which involved plans to kill the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been managing his judicial proceedings.

The scheme was stopped because it didn't receive the endorsement of the military leaders. Lula was inaugurated without issue on 1 January 2023.

But a week later, on the eighth of January, numerous his backers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the federal district, Brasília.

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

The judges found that the rioters had been encouraged by him whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to take action, reestablish control and return him to office.

At the time, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also banned from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.

The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him participating in the next presidential race.

Daniel Banks
Daniel Banks

Liam van der Berg is a seasoned sports journalist with over a decade of experience covering European and global sporting events.