Jair Bolsonaro arrested after being deemed a flight risk

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

The former head of state was sentenced of planning a armed takeover in the ninth month and handed more than over two decades in prison, but he remained under house arrest pending court reviews.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" emerged.

This encompassed trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears

In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said data from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the protest called by his son.

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

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or observe everything from your phone there on your sofa? I urge you to fight with us."

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

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the judge's ruling was the possibility of his "relocation to embassies near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of arranging to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.

The judicial paperwork underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, the capital city, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.

Global Responses

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

He is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will experience a detention review on the next day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other health problems.

Context of Sentencing

The former president was determined responsible of leading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the national vote to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

High Court judges said that he knew of a plot which involved plans to kill Lula and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing his judicial proceedings.

The conspiracy was prevented because it failed to get the endorsement of the armed forces officials. His successor was sworn in without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a week later, on January 8th, thousands of his backers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the federal district, Brasília.

The police took action and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.

The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been incited by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to take action, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.

At the time, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also prohibited from running for public office until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.

The ex-leader called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 national vote.