🔗 Share this article Jair Bolsonaro detained after being deemed a escape threat Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention. The ex-president was sentenced of plotting a armed takeover in the ninth month and sentenced more than 27 years in jail, but he continued under confinement pending appeals. Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after recent developments were revealed. This encompassed seeking to disable his tracking device and a summons to a demonstration that could facilitate a possible escape. Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears In a paperwork permitting the custody, Justice Moraes said data from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the surveillance device to ensure success in his escape. This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his son. His offspring, his son Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend. His son wrote on online platforms on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your country, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your couch? I invite you to fight with us." He said the gathering would be so followers could "pray for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our nation." Foreign Shelter Risks Part of the judge's determination was the chance of Bolsonaro's move to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of arranging to request asylum through a embassy office", a declaration said. The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence. Worldwide Consequences Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist US President Trump, prompting him to impose a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports. He is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the next day. Recent Legal Requests It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with electronic monitoring. They also petitioned that the former president be allowed to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he required ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other illnesses. Context of Sentencing He was found guilty of heading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the presidential race to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. High Court judges said that he was aware of a scheme which encompassed plans to assassinate his opponent and his running partner, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings. The plot was stopped because it didn't receive the backing of the armed forces officials. Lula was sworn in without incident on 1 January 2023. But a week later, on 8 January, numerous his backers attacked and damaged official structures in the federal district, Brazil's capital. The law enforcement stepped in and around 1,500 people were taken into custody. The judges found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, restore order and reinstate his authority. At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive. He was also barred from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the end of his sentence. The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 national vote.