đź”— Share this article Bolsonaro detained after being deemed a flight risk The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention. The former head of state was convicted of planning a government overthrow in September and sentenced more than over two decades in jail, but he was staying under home detention pending court reviews. Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after recent developments were revealed. This encompassed trying to remove his tracking device and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a possible escape. Court Filing Details Escape Concerns In a document approving the arrest, the magistrate said information from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the surveillance device to ensure success in his escape. This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the protest called by his child. His child, his son Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a meeting of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening. The senator wrote on online platforms on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your sofa? I invite you to battle with us." He said the gathering would be so supporters could offer prayers for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land." Diplomatic Refuge Fears Part of the magistrate's decision was the potential of his move to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a record of arranging to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said. The judicial paperwork underscores that the United States embassy in the capital, the capital city, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling. Worldwide Consequences The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist United States President Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil. He is being held in a national police facility in the capital and will undergo a custody hearing on the following day. Latest Court Petitions It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with digital surveillance. They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be allowed to depart his residence for medical care, saying he required frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other illnesses. Background on Conviction He was determined responsible of leading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the national vote to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a scheme which included plans to assassinate the current president and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial. The plot was stopped because it didn't receive the endorsement of the military leaders. His successor was inaugurated without incident on 1 January 2023. But a following week, on the eighth of January, numerous his followers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the federal district, BrasĂlia. The security forces took action and around 1,500 people were taken into custody. The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been incited by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, reestablish control and bring him back to power. At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive. He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the completion of his term. The former president called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 national vote.