🔗 Share this article Bolsonaro taken into custody after being deemed a flight risk Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest. The ex-president was convicted of plotting a armed takeover in last fall and handed more than over two decades in incarceration, but he was staying under confinement pending court reviews. High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after fresh information emerged. This encompassed attempting to break his tracking device and a invitation to a demonstration that could facilitate a potential flight. Court Filing Details Escape Risks In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said information from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his getaway". This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the protest called by his child. His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a legislator, called for a assembly of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend. Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I invite you to battle with us." He said the gathering would be so followers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land." Diplomatic Refuge Fears Part of the magistrate's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's move to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of planning to request asylum through a consular facility", a declaration said. The judicial paperwork highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, the capital city, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling. Worldwide Consequences The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist United States President Trump, leading him to implement a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports. Bolsonaro is being held in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will have a custody hearing on Sunday. Latest Court Petitions It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with digital surveillance. They also requested that the former president be authorized to leave his home for healthcare, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other ailments. Background on Conviction The former president was determined responsible of leading a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plot which involved plans to murder his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial. The plot was thwarted because it failed to get the backing of the armed forces officials. Lula was sworn in without problem on the first day of 2023. But a following week, on 8 January, many his followers invaded and destroyed official structures in the federal district, the capital city. The police stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody. The magistrates found that the protesters had been provoked by him whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, bring back stability and return him to office. At the period, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe". He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence. The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 presidential election.