The former Brazilian president arrested after being deemed a risk of fleeing

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The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.

The former head of state was found guilty of planning a military coup in the ninth month and handed more than 27 years in jail, but he remained under house arrest pending court reviews.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a preventative measure after recent developments were revealed.

This included seeking to disable his tracking device and a summons to a demonstration that could enable a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks

In a paperwork permitting the detention, the judge said data from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his getaway".

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the protest called by his offspring.

His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.

His son wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or watch it all from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to battle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could "pray for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the judge's ruling was the chance of his transfer to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a record of planning to seek refuge through a consular facility", a statement said.

The judicial paperwork underscores that the US embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 13km from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist US President Donald Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.

Bolsonaro is being detained in a Federal Police station in the capital and will have a custody hearing on the next day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with digital surveillance.

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

Context of Sentencing

The former president was determined responsible of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Lula.

High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plan which included plans to kill Lula and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been managing the former president's case.

The scheme was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the backing of the armed forces officials. The current president was took office without incident on January 1st, 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, thousands of his backers stormed and vandalised official structures in the capital, Brazil's capital.

The police stepped in and around 1,500 people were detained.

The justices found that the rioters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to step in, restore order and bring him back to power.

At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.

He was also barred from running for public office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.

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

Ruth Davis
Ruth Davis

A digital artist and designer with over 8 years of experience specializing in vector graphics and creative visual storytelling.