Bolsonaro taken into custody after being deemed a risk of fleeing

Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.

The former head of state was convicted of planning a government overthrow in September and sentenced more than over two decades in jail, but he continued under house arrest pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after recent developments emerged.

This involved seeking to disable his tracking device and a call for a demonstration that could facilitate a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears

In a filing authorising the detention, the magistrate said data from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his getaway".

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.

His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a legislator, called for a assembly of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.

The senator wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Will you battle for your homeland, or observe everything from your phone there on your settee? I call on you to fight with us."

He said the demonstration would be so followers could "pray for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the judge's ruling was the potential of Bolsonaro's move to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a background of arranging to request asylum through a embassy office", a statement said.

The judicial paperwork underscores that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is located around 13km from the former president's residence.

International Reactions

The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative United States President President Trump, prompting him to implement a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.

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

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with tracking devices.

They also asked that the former president be authorized to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he demanded regular treatment for lung conditions and other ailments.

Context of Sentencing

The former president was found guilty of heading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the 2022 election to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a scheme which encompassed plans to murder his opponent and his running partner, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.

The conspiracy was prevented because it didn't receive the support of the military leaders. Lula was took office without issue on January 1st, 2023.

But a week later, on January 8th, many his backers stormed and vandalised official structures in the capital, the capital city.

The law enforcement took action and around 1,500 people were detained.

The justices found that the protesters had been incited by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to step in, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.

At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also barred from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.

The former president called the court case a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the next presidential race.