Jair Bolsonaro arrested after being declared a escape threat

Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The ex-president was found guilty of plotting a military coup in September and given more than over two decades in prison, but he continued under home detention pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after fresh information emerged.

This included trying to remove his tracking device and a call for a supporters' gathering that could enable a potential flight.

Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears

In a paperwork permitting the custody, the judge said data from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his flight.

This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the protest called by his child.

His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a legislator, called for a gathering of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.

The senator wrote on social media on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I urge you to struggle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could offer prayers for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our country."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the magistrate's decision was the potential of his transfer to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of organizing to ask for protection through a embassy office", a statement said.

The court filing emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, the capital city, is positioned around 13km from his dwelling.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative American leader President Trump, prompting him to impose a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

He is being detained in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a detention review on the next day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.

They also requested that he be permitted to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he demanded regular treatment for lung conditions and other ailments.

Details of Guilty Verdict

He was determined responsible of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the 2022 election to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plan which encompassed plans to assassinate the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing the former president's case.

The scheme was thwarted because it failed to get the support of the armed forces officials. His successor was inaugurated without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a week later, on the eighth of January, thousands of his followers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the national capital, Brasília.

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

The magistrates found that the rioters had been provoked by him whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, restore order and return him to office.

At the time, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.

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

The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 national vote.