Jair Bolsonaro taken into custody after being considered a escape threat

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The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.

The one-time leader was found guilty of orchestrating a government overthrow in the ninth month and sentenced more than 27 years in jail, but he remained under confinement pending court reviews.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" emerged.

This included trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a call for a public vigil that could enable a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks

In a document approving the custody, the magistrate said data from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his getaway".

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

His offspring, his son Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a meeting of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.

His son wrote on online platforms on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your phone there on your couch? I call on you to fight with us."

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

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the magistrate's decision was the chance of the former president's move to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of planning to ask for protection through a embassy office", a announcement said.

The court filing highlights that the United States embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 8 miles from his dwelling.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist United States President President Trump, causing him to enact a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

He is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the following day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also asked that Bolsonaro be permitted to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he needed regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.

Context of Sentencing

The former president was convicted of heading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a scheme which included plans to kill the current president and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing his judicial proceedings.

The scheme was thwarted because it didn't receive the endorsement of the armed forces officials. His successor was inaugurated without issue on January 1st, 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, many his followers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the federal district, Brasília.

The police intervened and around 1,500 people were detained.

The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been provoked by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.

At the moment, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.

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

The one-time head of state called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the next presidential race.

Catherine Banks
Catherine Banks

Alex Turner is a seasoned urban explorer and lifestyle writer passionate about uncovering the hidden gems of city life.