Bolsonaro taken into custody after being considered a risk of fleeing

The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.

The one-time leader was found guilty of plotting a armed takeover in the ninth month and sentenced more than 27 years in prison, but he was staying under home detention pending court reviews.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" came to light.

This involved trying to remove his ankle monitor and a invitation to a demonstration that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Judicial Records Show Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the custody, the judge said data from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his flight.

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

His offspring, his son Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a meeting of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.

His son wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your sofa? I call on you to battle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so backers could "pray for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the judge's decision was the potential of his transfer to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of arranging to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.

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

Worldwide Consequences

The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist American leader Trump, leading him to impose a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.

The former president is being kept in a Federal Police station in the capital and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the High Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.

They also asked that Bolsonaro be allowed to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he needed frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other ailments.

Details of Guilty Verdict

He was found guilty of heading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the national vote to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plot which included plans to assassinate Lula and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The plot was prevented because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. The current president was inaugurated without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a following week, on 8 January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged official structures in the capital, Brasília.

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

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

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

He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.

The former president called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 presidential election.