Jair Bolsonaro taken into custody after being deemed a escape threat

placeholder news image

The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.

The former head of state was convicted of plotting a armed takeover in last fall and given more than 27 years in jail, but he remained under home detention pending appeals.

High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after recent developments came to light.

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

Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks

In a paperwork permitting the detention, Justice Moraes said information from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his flight.

This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his son.

His son, his son Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.

His son wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Will you battle for your country, or see it all from your phone there on your settee? I invite you to battle with us."

He said the vigil would be so supporters could "pray for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the possibility of Bolsonaro's "relocation to embassies near the home, 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 US embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.

Global Responses

The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist United States President President Trump, leading him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

The former president is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will experience a custody hearing on the next day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with tracking devices.

They also asked that the former president be authorized to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he demanded regular treatment for lung conditions and other ailments.

Details of Guilty Verdict

Bolsonaro was determined responsible of orchestrating a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the presidential race to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plot which included plans to murder the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.

The conspiracy was prevented because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the military leaders. Lula was inaugurated without problem on 1 January 2023.

But a week later, on the eighth of January, thousands of his followers stormed and vandalised official structures in the federal district, Brazil's capital.

The law enforcement intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.

The magistrates found that the rioters had been encouraged by him whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, reestablish control and bring him back to power.

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

He was also banned from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the completion of his term.

The ex-leader called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him running in the next presidential race.

Alyssa Herrera
Alyssa Herrera

Award-winning journalist specializing in digital innovation and societal impacts, with over a decade of experience covering European tech scenes.