🔗 Share this article The former Brazilian president arrested after being declared a flight risk Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention. The one-time leader was convicted of orchestrating a military coup in September and handed more than 27 years in jail, but he continued under house arrest pending appeals. High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" emerged. This involved attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a call for a public vigil that could enable a possible escape. Court Filing Details Escape Risks In a filing authorising the arrest, the judge said information from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his escape. This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his son. His offspring, Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend. Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or see it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I invite you to fight with us." He said the demonstration would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land." Diplomatic Refuge Fears Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the chance of Bolsonaro's transfer to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a background of arranging to ask for protection through a consular facility", a declaration said. The legal document highlights that the United States embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is positioned around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home. International Reactions Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative United States President Trump, leading him to enact a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil. He is being detained in a Federal Police station in the capital and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the next day. Recent Legal Requests It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with digital surveillance. They also asked that he be permitted to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he demanded regular treatment for lung conditions and other illnesses. Context of Sentencing The former president was convicted of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the national vote to his ideological adversary, President Lula. Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a scheme which encompassed plans to murder his opponent and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial. The plot was thwarted because it didn't receive the backing of the armed forces officials. Lula was sworn in without issue on January 1st, 2023. But a following week, on the eighth of January, thousands of his followers stormed and vandalised official structures in the federal district, Brasília. The security forces stepped in and around 1,500 people were detained. The justices found that the rioters had been provoked by him whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, restore order and return him to office. At the time, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe". He was also barred from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment. The ex-leader called the trial a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him running in the next presidential race.