The former Brazilian president taken into custody after being declared a escape threat

The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.

The ex-president was convicted of plotting a military coup in the ninth month and handed more than 27 years in incarceration, but he continued under confinement pending appeals.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a safety action after recent developments emerged.

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

Court Filing Details Flight Fears

In a filing authorising the detention, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the protest called by his offspring.

His offspring, his son Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a meeting of his backers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.

The senator wrote on online platforms on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or see it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I urge you to fight with us."

He said the demonstration would be so backers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the judge's decision was the potential of the former president's transfer to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a history of planning to seek refuge through a embassy office", a declaration said.

The legal document highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist American leader President Trump, prompting him to enact a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being detained in a national police facility in Brasilia and will have a imprisonment assessment on the next day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.

They also asked that he be authorized to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he needed regular treatment for lung conditions and other health problems.

Details of Guilty Verdict

The former president was convicted of leading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a scheme which included plans to assassinate Lula and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The scheme was thwarted because it didn't receive the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. Lula was sworn in without problem on the first day of 2023.

But a following week, on January 8th, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged public facilities in the capital, Brazil's capital.

The police intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.

The justices found that the protesters had been provoked by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to step in, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.

At the period, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also barred from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.

The former president called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 national vote.