🔗 Share this article The former Brazilian president detained after being deemed a flight risk Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement. The one-time leader was found guilty of plotting a military coup in last fall and sentenced more than over two decades in incarceration, but he remained under confinement pending legal challenges. Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a preventative measure after recent developments were revealed. This involved trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a call for a public vigil that could facilitate a chance to flee". Judicial Records Show Flight Fears In a document approving the arrest, the judge said data from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his flight. This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the protest called by his offspring. His child, his son Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend. The senator wrote on social media on Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or observe everything from your phone there on your couch? I urge you to battle with us." He said the gathering would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his health and for the return of democracy in our land." Foreign Shelter Risks Part of the magistrate's determination was the possibility of the former president's move to embassies near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a record of planning to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said. The judicial paperwork highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brasilia, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence. Worldwide Consequences Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative US President Donald Trump, prompting him to impose a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods. The former president is being detained in a national police facility in Brasilia and will experience a detention review on the next day. Recent Judicial Appeals It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with electronic monitoring. They also petitioned that he be allowed to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he required frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other illnesses. Context of Sentencing Bolsonaro was convicted of heading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the national vote to his left-wing rival, President Lula. Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plot which included plans to kill his opponent and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over the former president's case. The conspiracy was thwarted because it failed to get the backing of the military leaders. His successor was inaugurated without issue on the first day of 2023. But a week later, on January 8th, numerous Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised official structures in the federal district, BrasÃlia. The security forces stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested. The judges found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, reestablish control and return him to office. At the time, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive. He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term. The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the next presidential race.