Jair Bolsonaro arrested after being declared a risk of fleeing

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Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.

The former head of state was convicted of planning a military coup in the ninth month and given more than 27 years in jail, but he continued under home detention pending legal challenges.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a precautionary step after fresh information were revealed.

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

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a document approving the arrest, Justice Moraes said data from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his flight.

This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.

His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your country, or observe everything from your phone there on your settee? I urge you to battle with us."

He said the vigil would be so followers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the chance of his "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a history of planning to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.

The judicial paperwork highlights that the US embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 8 miles from the former president's residence.

International Reactions

His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist United States President Donald Trump, prompting him to implement a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.

He is being held in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will have a custody hearing on the following day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also requested that the former president be allowed to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other illnesses.

Details of Guilty Verdict

He was determined responsible of leading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Lula.

High Court judges said that he knew of a plan which encompassed plans to assassinate the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing the former president's case.

The plot was thwarted because it failed to get the backing of the armed forces officials. His successor was took office without issue on the first day of 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, thousands of his backers attacked and damaged government buildings in the capital, Brasília.

The law enforcement stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.

The judges found that the protesters had been encouraged by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to take action, restore order and bring him back to power.

At the time, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.

He was also barred from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the end of his sentence.

The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him running in the next presidential race.

Diana Bennett
Diana Bennett

A seasoned journalist with a passion for uncovering stories that matter, focusing on UK communities and current affairs.