The former Brazilian president 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 house arrest.

The one-time leader was found guilty of orchestrating a armed takeover in last fall and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he was staying under home detention pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after recent developments emerged.

This included attempting to break his tracking device and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a potential flight.

Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears

In a paperwork permitting the detention, Justice Moraes said information from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his getaway".

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

His son, Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a assembly of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.

His son wrote on social media on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or observe everything from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to fight with us."

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the judge's determination was the possibility of his "relocation to embassies near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of organizing to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.

The court filing underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 8 miles from the former president's residence.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist US President President Trump, causing him to enact a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.

He is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will have a custody hearing on Sunday.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with tracking devices.

They also petitioned that he be permitted to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he required regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.

Context of Sentencing

He was determined responsible of leading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

High Court judges said that he knew of a plot which included plans to kill the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been presiding over the former president's case.

The plot was stopped because it didn't receive the support of the armed forces officials. His successor was sworn in without issue on the first day of 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, thousands of his followers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the federal district, Brazil's capital.

The police intervened and around 1,500 people were detained.

The justices found that the rioters had been incited by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to step in, reestablish control and bring him back to power.

At the time, the legal team called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also barred from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.

The former president called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the next presidential race.

Jason Fuentes
Jason Fuentes

A health journalist and wellness advocate with over a decade of experience in nutrition and fitness coaching.