🔗 Share this article Bolsonaro arrested after being considered a flight risk The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention. The ex-president was found guilty of planning a armed takeover in last fall and handed more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he was staying under home detention pending appeals. High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a preventative measure after fresh information were revealed. This included trying to remove his tracking device and a invitation to a demonstration that could "allow for a potential flight. Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns In a filing authorising the detention, the judge said intelligence from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's aim to disable the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his getaway". This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his offspring. His offspring, Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend. The senator wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Will you battle for your country, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I call on you to battle with us." He said the gathering would be so followers could "pray for his health and for the return of democracy in our land." Foreign Shelter Risks Part of the magistrate's ruling was the chance of the former president's move to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a background of planning to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said. The court filing highlights that the US embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home. Global Responses The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative American leader Donald Trump, leading him to impose a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil. He 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 last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with tracking devices. They also asked that the former president be allowed to leave his home for medical care, saying he required frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other health problems. Background on Conviction Bolsonaro was convicted of orchestrating a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the presidential race to his political opponent, Lula. High Court judges said that he knew of a scheme which encompassed plans to murder Lula and his running partner, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing his judicial proceedings. The plot was stopped because it didn't receive the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. The current president was sworn in without incident on the first day of 2023. But a seven days after, on January 8th, many his backers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the federal district, Brasília. The law enforcement stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained. The judges found that the demonstrators had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, reestablish control and return him to office. At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh. He was also barred from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - 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.