🔗 Share this article The former Brazilian president taken into custody after being declared a risk of fleeing The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention. The former head of state was convicted of planning a government overthrow in last fall and given more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he continued under confinement pending appeals. Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after recent developments emerged. This included attempting to break his tracking device and a invitation to a demonstration that could "allow for a potential flight. Judicial Records Show Escape Risks In a filing authorising the detention, the judge said data from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his escape. This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his son. His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a legislator, called for a meeting of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night. His son wrote on online platforms on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I urge you to struggle with us." He said the vigil would be so backers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land." Diplomatic Refuge Fears Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the potential of Bolsonaro's move to foreign missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of organizing to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said. The legal document emphasizes that the US embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home. Worldwide Consequences Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative American leader President Trump, causing him to implement a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports. Bolsonaro is being kept in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will experience a custody hearing on the next day. Recent Legal Requests It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with digital surveillance. They also requested that the former president be authorized to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other illnesses. Background on Conviction The former president was found guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the presidential race to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. High Court judges said that he knew of a scheme which involved plans to assassinate his opponent and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing the former president's case. The plot was stopped because it didn't receive the endorsement of the armed forces officials. The current president was took office without issue on the first day of 2023. But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, numerous his followers attacked and damaged official structures in the capital, the capital city. The law enforcement stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody. The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, bring back stability and reinstate his authority. At the period, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe". He was also barred from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment. The one-time head of state called the court case a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 presidential election.