🔗 Share this article Bolsonaro detained after being considered a flight risk The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement. The former head of state was sentenced of plotting a government overthrow in the ninth month and sentenced more than a 27-year term in prison, but he was staying under confinement pending legal challenges. Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a safety action after recent developments came to light. This involved attempting to break his tracking device and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could enable a chance to flee". Judicial Records Show Escape Risks In a filing authorising the custody, the judge said intelligence from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his flight. This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his child. His child, Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a meeting of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening. Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or watch it all from your phone there on your settee? I call on you to struggle with us." He said the demonstration would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation." Foreign Shelter Risks Part of the magistrate's determination was the chance of Bolsonaro's "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of arranging to seek refuge through a consular facility", a declaration said. The court filing underscores that the US embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home. Worldwide Consequences Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist American leader President Trump, prompting him to enact a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil. Bolsonaro is being held in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will experience a imprisonment assessment on Sunday. Recent Legal Requests It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with electronic monitoring. They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be authorized to leave his home for medical care, saying he needed frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other health problems. Details of Guilty Verdict He was determined responsible of heading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the national vote to his ideological adversary, President Lula. Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a scheme which encompassed plans to assassinate the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial. The conspiracy was stopped because it failed to get the support of the military leaders. His successor was took office without incident on January 1st, 2023. But a following week, on January 8th, many Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed government buildings in the capital, the capital city. The police took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody. The judges found that the demonstrators had been provoked by him whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, restore order and reinstate his authority. At the time, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive. He was also barred from running for public office until 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term. The one-time head of state called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 presidential election.