The former Brazilian president detained after being declared a flight risk

Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.

The ex-president was sentenced of orchestrating a military coup in September and handed more than 27 years in prison, but he remained under home detention pending appeals.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" were revealed.

This encompassed trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a summons to a public vigil that could "allow for a possible escape.

Judicial Records Show Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the detention, Justice Moraes said information from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his getaway".

This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his child.

His child, his son Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.

His son wrote on online platforms on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or see it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I urge you to battle with us."

He said the vigil would be so supporters could "pray for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the chance of the former president's "relocation to embassies near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of arranging to request asylum through a consular facility", a announcement said.

The legal document highlights that the United States embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is positioned around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative US President Donald Trump, leading him to implement a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.

Bolsonaro is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will experience a custody hearing on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.

They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he needed regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other health problems.

Details of Guilty Verdict

He was convicted of orchestrating a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plot which encompassed plans to assassinate his opponent and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.

The scheme was stopped because it failed to get the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. His successor was inaugurated without issue on the first day of 2023.

But a following week, on 8 January, numerous his followers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the national capital, Brasília.

The police took action and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.

The judges found that the demonstrators had been provoked by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.

At the moment, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also barred from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - 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 competing in the 2026 national vote.