🔗 Share this article The former Brazilian president arrested after being declared a flight risk Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest. The one-time leader was found guilty of orchestrating a military coup in last fall and handed more than a 27-year term in prison, but he continued under confinement pending legal challenges. Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after recent developments were revealed. This encompassed seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a chance to flee". Judicial Records Show Flight Fears In a filing authorising the arrest, the judge said information from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his flight. This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his child. His son, Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a gathering of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening. His son wrote on digital networks on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I urge you to struggle with us." He said the demonstration would be so backers could "pray for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation." Foreign Shelter Risks Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the possibility of the former president's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of arranging to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a statement said. The legal document emphasizes that the US embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is positioned around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home. Worldwide Consequences The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist US President Donald Trump, prompting him to implement a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil. He is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a custody hearing on the following day. Recent Legal Requests It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring. They also requested that Bolsonaro be allowed to depart his residence for medical care, saying he demanded regular treatment for lung conditions and other health problems. Context of Sentencing He was convicted of leading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the national vote to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a scheme which encompassed plans to murder the current president and his running partner, Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing the former president's case. The conspiracy was stopped because it failed to get the support of the military leaders. Lula was inaugurated without issue on January 1st, 2023. But a week later, on January 8th, thousands of his followers attacked and damaged official structures in the federal district, Brazil's capital. The law enforcement took action and around 1,500 people were arrested. The justices found that the rioters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, restore order and reinstate his authority. At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe". He was also prohibited from running for public office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence. The former president called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 national vote.