The former Brazilian president taken into custody after being deemed a risk of fleeing

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The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.

The one-time leader was convicted of planning a government overthrow in last fall and sentenced more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he remained under confinement pending legal challenges.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after fresh information were revealed.

This included attempting to break his tracking device and a summons to a public vigil that could "allow for a potential flight.

Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears

In a paperwork permitting the custody, Justice Moraes said data from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his escape.

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

His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Will you battle for your nation, or watch it all from your phone there on your settee? I call on you to fight with us."

He said the gathering would be so backers could "pray for his health and for the return of democracy in our land."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the judge's decision was the possibility of his transfer to embassies near the home, considering that the probes revealed a record of organizing to request asylum through a embassy office", a statement said.

The legal document emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, the capital city, is located around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

Worldwide Consequences

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative US President President Trump, prompting him to enact a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

The former president is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also requested that the former president be allowed to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he needed regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.

Details of Guilty Verdict

Bolsonaro was found guilty of heading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the presidential race to his political opponent, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a scheme which included plans to assassinate the current president and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.

The scheme was stopped because it didn't receive the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. Lula was inaugurated without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, many his followers attacked and damaged public facilities in the federal district, the capital city.

The security forces took action and around approximately 1,500 persons 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 step in, restore order and return him to office.

At the period, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also barred from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The one-time head of state called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 national vote.

Karen Morris
Karen Morris

A seasoned IT consultant with over 15 years of experience in cybersecurity and digital transformation strategies.