Jair Bolsonaro taken into custody after being deemed a flight risk

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Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.

The ex-president was found guilty of orchestrating a armed takeover in the ninth month and sentenced more than 27 years in jail, but he remained under confinement pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" were revealed.

This encompassed attempting to break his ankle monitor and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the detention, the judge said information from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's "intention to break the tracking monitor to ensure success in his escape.

This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his son.

His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on the previous day: Will you battle for your nation, or observe everything from your phone there on your couch? I urge you to struggle with us."

He said the vigil would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the judge's decision was the chance of his transfer to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of organizing to seek refuge through a consular facility", a statement said.

The court filing highlights that the US embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.

Global Responses

The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist United States President President Trump, causing him to implement a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.

He is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the next day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the High Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with tracking devices.

They also requested that Bolsonaro be allowed to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he required ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other ailments.

Context of Sentencing

Bolsonaro was found guilty of orchestrating a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the presidential race to his political opponent, Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plot which included plans to kill Lula and his running partner, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over the former president's case.

The plot was thwarted because it didn't receive the backing of the army and air force commanders. The current president was took office without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, thousands of his backers attacked and damaged government buildings in the national capital, Brazil's capital.

The police took action and around 1,500 people were arrested.

The judges found that the rioters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, reestablish control and bring him back to power.

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

He was also barred from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the completion of his term.

The ex-leader called the trial a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 national vote.

Jacob Morris
Jacob Morris

A Milan-based historian and trekking enthusiast with over a decade of experience guiding tours through Italy's architectural marvels.