🔗 Share this article Jair Bolsonaro arrested after being considered a risk of fleeing Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention. The ex-president was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in the ninth month and given more than 27 years in incarceration, but he remained under home detention pending legal challenges. High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after recent developments came to light. This included trying to remove his tracking device and a call for a supporters' gathering that could enable a potential flight. Court Filing Details Escape Concerns In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said intelligence from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's "intention to break the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway". This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his offspring. His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a senator, called for a gathering of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend. Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or see it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I call on you to fight with us." He said the vigil would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation." Diplomatic Refuge Fears Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the chance of the former president's move to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of organizing to ask for protection through a embassy office", a announcement said. The court filing underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, the capital city, is situated around 8 miles from the former president's residence. Global Responses Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist US President Donald Trump, leading him to implement a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil. The former president is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will have a detention review on the following day. Latest Court Petitions It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with tracking devices. They also asked that he be allowed to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he needed frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other health problems. Details of Guilty Verdict He was convicted of heading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his political opponent, Lula. Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plan which included plans to murder Lula and his running partner, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial. The conspiracy was prevented because it failed to get the backing of the military leaders. Lula was took office without problem on 1 January 2023. But a week later, on 8 January, thousands of his followers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the federal district, the capital city. The law enforcement stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested. The judges found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, restore order and return him to office. At the period, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe". He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term. The former president called the trial a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him participating in the next presidential race.