The former Brazilian president detained after being declared a flight risk

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The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.

The former head of state was convicted of planning a government overthrow in last fall and sentenced more than a 27-year term in jail, but he remained under home detention pending appeals.

Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after fresh information were revealed.

This involved attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a public vigil that could facilitate a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Flight Fears

In a filing authorising the custody, the judge said data from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the former leader's plan to remove the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".

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

His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.

The senator wrote on social media on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I invite you to struggle with us."

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

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the chance of the former president's transfer to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of arranging to seek refuge through a embassy office", a declaration said.

The judicial paperwork underscores that the US embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is located around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative American leader President Trump, prompting him to enact a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

He is being held in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a custody hearing on the following day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.

They also petitioned that the former president be permitted to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he demanded regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Details of Guilty Verdict

He was found guilty of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

High Court judges said that he knew of a scheme which involved plans to assassinate Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The scheme was thwarted because it didn't receive the support of the army and air force commanders. Lula was took office without problem on the first day of 2023.

But a following week, on 8 January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised government buildings in the national capital, the capital city.

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

The magistrates found that the rioters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, bring back stability and return him to office.

At the period, the legal team called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also prohibited from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The former president called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 national vote.

Julia Hunt
Julia Hunt

A seasoned journalist specializing in digital media and cultural trends, with over a decade of experience in UK newsrooms.