🔗 Share this article Jair Bolsonaro detained after being deemed a escape threat The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention. The ex-president was sentenced of orchestrating a armed takeover in September and handed more than 27 years in prison, but he continued under house arrest pending legal challenges. High Court Judge the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" were revealed. This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a potential flight. Court Filing Details Escape Risks In a paperwork permitting the detention, the magistrate said data from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his escape. This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his offspring. His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a legislator, called for a gathering of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening. The senator wrote on online platforms on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I invite you to struggle with us." He said the gathering would be so backers could offer prayers for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land." Embassy Asylum Concerns Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the chance of his move to embassies near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of planning to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a statement said. The legal document underscores that the United States embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling. International Reactions The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist United States President Trump, causing him to implement a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports. The former president is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will have a imprisonment assessment on the next day. Recent Judicial Appeals It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with tracking devices. They also requested that Bolsonaro be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other illnesses. Background on Conviction The former president was found guilty of orchestrating a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the national vote to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plan which encompassed plans to kill the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing the former president's case. The scheme was stopped because it couldn't obtain the backing of the army and air force commanders. Lula was inaugurated without problem on 1 January 2023. But a following week, on 8 January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed public facilities in the capital, Brazil's capital. The security forces stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody. The magistrates found that the protesters had been incited by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, bring back stability and reinstate his authority. At the time, the legal team called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh. He was also prohibited from running for public office until 2060 - eight years later 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 running in the 2026 presidential election.