Jair Bolsonaro detained after being deemed a risk of fleeing

The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.

The former head of state was convicted of orchestrating a government overthrow in September and handed more than over two decades in prison, but he was staying under confinement pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after fresh information were revealed.

This involved seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a demonstration that could enable a possible escape.

Court Filing Details Escape Concerns

In a paperwork permitting the custody, Justice Moraes said data from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the former leader's aim to disable the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".

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

His child, his son Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a assembly of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.

The senator wrote on digital networks on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or watch it all from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to battle with us."

He said the gathering would be so supporters could offer prayers for his health and for the return of democracy in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the possibility of Bolsonaro's move to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of planning to ask for protection through a embassy office", a announcement said.

The court filing highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brasilia, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.

International Reactions

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

The former president is being detained in a national police facility in the capital and will experience a imprisonment assessment on the following day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with tracking devices.

They also asked that he be authorized to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was determined responsible of leading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his political opponent, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plot which included plans to assassinate his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the top judicial official 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. The current president was inaugurated without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, many his followers attacked and damaged government buildings in the national capital, Brasília.

The police stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.

The judges found that the demonstrators had been provoked by him whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to step in, restore order and reinstate his authority.

At the time, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the completion of his term.

The former president called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 national vote.