Jair Bolsonaro taken into custody after being deemed a flight risk

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Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.

The former head of state was found guilty of plotting a military coup in the ninth month and sentenced more than a 27-year term in jail, but he remained under home detention pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after "new facts" were revealed.

This involved attempting to break his ankle monitor and a call for a demonstration that could facilitate a potential flight.

Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns

In a document approving the custody, the magistrate said intelligence from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his flight.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his child.

His offspring, Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a meeting of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.

His son wrote on social media on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I invite you to struggle with us."

He said the vigil would be so supporters could "pray for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the judge's determination was the potential of his transfer to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of planning to ask for protection through a consular facility", a statement said.

The court filing highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist United States President President Trump, causing him to impose a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with tracking devices.

They also asked that Bolsonaro be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he needed regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

The former president was convicted of heading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the presidential race to his ideological adversary, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plot which included plans to kill his opponent and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing his judicial proceedings.

The plot was stopped because it failed to get the support of the army and air force commanders. The current president was took office without issue on January 1st, 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, many his followers attacked and damaged public facilities in the federal district, the capital city.

The law enforcement stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.

The judges found that the protesters had been provoked by him whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to step in, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.

At the period, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him running in the next presidential race.

Karen Payne
Karen Payne

A seasoned gambling analyst with over a decade of experience in reviewing online casinos and slot games across Europe.