🔗 Share this article

Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.

The one-time leader was found guilty of plotting a military coup in September and given more than a 27-year term in prison, but he continued under house arrest pending court reviews.

High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after recent developments came to light.

This encompassed seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a demonstration that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Flight Fears

In a paperwork permitting the arrest, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his getaway".

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

His child, Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his supporters near his father's house to take place on the weekend.

The senator wrote on social media on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your settee? I urge you to fight with us."

He said the demonstration would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the return of democracy in our country."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the judge's decision was the potential of his transfer to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a record of planning to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The legal document underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brasilia, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.

Worldwide Consequences

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist United States President Donald Trump, leading him to enact a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.

Bolsonaro is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the next day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with digital surveillance.

They also asked that the former president be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he demanded regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other ailments.

Details of Guilty Verdict

He was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the 2022 election to his political opponent, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a scheme which involved plans to kill the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been managing the former president's case.

The plot was prevented because it didn't receive the backing of the military leaders. His successor was inaugurated without issue on the first day of 2023.

But a seven days after, on January 8th, many his backers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the capital, Brazil's capital.

The law enforcement stepped in and around 1,500 people were arrested.

The magistrates found that the rioters had been incited by him whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.

At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also barred from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 national vote.