🔗 Share this article Jair Bolsonaro arrested after being considered a risk of fleeing Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest. The former head of state was sentenced of orchestrating a military coup in the ninth month and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he continued under house arrest pending court reviews. High Court Judge the presiding justice said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a preventative measure after recent developments came to light. This included trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a call for a demonstration that could facilitate a chance to flee". Court Filing Details Escape Concerns In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said intelligence from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's "intention to break the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his getaway". This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his son. His son, his son Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a assembly of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening. His son wrote on online platforms on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your couch? I invite you to battle with us." He said the gathering would be so followers could "pray for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land." Embassy Asylum Concerns Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the possibility of Bolsonaro's transfer to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a background of arranging to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said. The legal document underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, the capital city, is situated around 8 miles from his dwelling. International Reactions The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative US President Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil. He is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will have a detention review on the following day. Recent Legal Requests It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with digital surveillance. They also asked that he be permitted to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he needed regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other health problems. Context of Sentencing He was found guilty of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, President Lula. Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plot which involved plans to murder the current president and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings. The conspiracy was thwarted because it failed to get the support of the armed forces officials. His successor was took office without issue on 1 January 2023. But a following week, on 8 January, many Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed public facilities in the federal district, the capital city. The security forces stepped in and around 1,500 people were arrested. The magistrates found that the protesters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, restore order and reinstate his authority. At the moment, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive. He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment. The former president called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him running in the next presidential race.