Jair Bolsonaro taken into custody after being deemed a flight risk

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Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.

The former head of state was convicted of planning a government overthrow in last fall and sentenced more than a 27-year term in prison, but he was staying under house arrest pending appeals.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" emerged.

This encompassed seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could enable a possible escape.

Court Filing Details Escape Concerns

In a paperwork permitting the arrest, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his getaway".

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the protest called by his child.

His offspring, Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a assembly of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.

The senator wrote on social media on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or watch it all from your phone there on your settee? I invite you to struggle with us."

He said the vigil would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the return of democracy in our land."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the chance of Bolsonaro's "relocation to embassies near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a background of organizing to request asylum through a consular facility", a declaration said.

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

Worldwide Consequences

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist American leader Trump, causing him to impose a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will undergo a detention review on Sunday.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with digital surveillance.

They also asked that he be authorized to leave his home for medical care, saying he demanded ongoing care for lung conditions and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

He was convicted of orchestrating a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the national vote to his political opponent, President Lula.

High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plan which included plans to assassinate the current president and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.

The plot was stopped because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. His successor was took office without issue on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, many his followers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the federal district, Brazil's capital.

The police stepped in and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.

The justices found that the protesters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.

At the period, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also banned from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years after the completion of his term.

The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the next presidential race.

Jerome Hawkins
Jerome Hawkins

A seasoned gaming journalist with over a decade of experience covering the Canadian iGaming market and regulatory developments.