🔗 Share this article The former Brazilian president detained after being considered a flight risk The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention. The former head of state was sentenced of planning a government overthrow in last fall and given more than a 27-year term in prison, but he continued under confinement pending court reviews. High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after "new facts" came to light. This involved trying to remove his tracking device and a summons to a demonstration that could facilitate a potential flight. Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said data from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his flight. This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his child. His offspring, Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night. The senator wrote on social media on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your couch? I urge you to battle with us." He said the gathering would be so backers could "pray for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country." Embassy Asylum Concerns Part of the judge's determination was the chance of his move to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a history of planning to seek refuge through a embassy office", a declaration said. The legal document underscores that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is located around 8 miles from his dwelling. Global Responses The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist United States President Trump, prompting him to impose a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods. Bolsonaro is being kept in a national police facility in the capital and will experience a detention review on the following day. Latest Court Petitions It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with tracking devices. They also requested that Bolsonaro be permitted to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he demanded regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other ailments. Details of Guilty Verdict Bolsonaro was determined responsible of orchestrating a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the presidential race to his ideological adversary, President Lula. Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a scheme which involved plans to kill Lula and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings. The conspiracy was thwarted because it didn't receive the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. Lula was inaugurated without issue on January 1st, 2023. But a seven days after, on 8 January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged government buildings in the federal district, Brasília. The police stepped in and around 1,500 people were arrested. The judges found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, reestablish control and reinstate his authority. At the period, the legal team called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe". He was also prohibited from running for public office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment. The ex-leader called the court case a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 presidential election.