🔗 Share this article Jair Bolsonaro taken into custody after being considered a risk of fleeing The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest. The one-time leader was found guilty of orchestrating a military coup in the ninth month and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he continued under home detention pending appeals. Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after "new facts" came to light. This included trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a call for a supporters' gathering that could enable a chance to flee". Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks In a paperwork permitting the detention, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his flight. This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his offspring. His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his supporters near his father's house to take place on the weekend. His son wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Will you battle for your country, or see it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I call on you to battle with us." He said the gathering would be so supporters could offer prayers for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our nation." Embassy Asylum Concerns Part of the magistrate's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's transfer to foreign missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a background of arranging to request asylum through a consular facility", a statement said. The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home. International Reactions Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist American leader Donald Trump, leading him to enact a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports. The former president is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will undergo a detention review on Sunday. Recent Legal Requests It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with digital surveillance. They also petitioned that the former president be allowed to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he needed frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other illnesses. Background on Conviction The former president was found guilty of heading a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the national vote to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a scheme which included plans to assassinate Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial. The plot was stopped because it didn't receive the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. His successor was took office without incident on 1 January 2023. But a seven days after, on January 8th, many his backers invaded and destroyed official structures in the capital, Brazil's capital. The police intervened and around 1,500 people were detained. The justices found that the rioters had been encouraged by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, reestablish control and return him to office. At the moment, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh. He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight 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 participating in the 2026 national vote.