🔗 Share this article Bolsonaro detained after being considered a flight risk Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention. The ex-president was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in last fall and sentenced more than 27 years in prison, but he was staying under home detention pending legal challenges. High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after recent developments were revealed. This included attempting to break his tracking device and a invitation to a demonstration that could enable a chance to flee". Judicial Records Show Flight Fears In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said information from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his getaway". This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his offspring. His son, Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening. His son wrote on social media on last Friday: "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 vigil would be so backers could offer prayers for his health and for the return of democracy in our land." Diplomatic Refuge Fears Part of the magistrate's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's "relocation to foreign missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a history of planning to seek refuge through a consular facility", a declaration said. The judicial paperwork highlights that the United States embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence. Global Responses The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative United States President President Trump, causing him to impose a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil. The former president is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will experience a custody hearing on the next day. Recent Judicial Appeals It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with tracking devices. They also asked that he be authorized to leave his home for healthcare, saying he required frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other illnesses. Details of Guilty Verdict The former president was found guilty of leading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a scheme which involved plans to murder the current president and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing the former president's case. The scheme was stopped because it didn't receive the endorsement of the military leaders. His successor was inaugurated without issue on January 1st, 2023. But a week later, on January 8th, many his backers stormed and vandalised official structures in the national capital, Brasília. The police took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested. The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been provoked by him whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to step in, restore order and return him to office. At the moment, the legal team called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh. He was also barred from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term. The ex-leader called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the next presidential race.