Former Brazilian president arrested as flight risk

Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after being determined to be a “concrete flight risk” while under house arrest.

The former president of Brazil is Found guilty of plotting military coup in September He was sentenced to more than 27 years in prison but remained under house arrest pending appeal.

Brazil’s Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Morais said the move to detain the 70-year-old man was a precautionary measure after “new facts” came to light.

These included attempts to break his ankle monitor and calling for a public vigil to “allow for a possible escape”.

In the document authorizing the arrest, Judge Moraes said information from the center monitoring Bolsonaro’s house arrest indicated that the former president “intended to break the electronic anklet to ensure a successful escape.”

“This situation will be exacerbated by the chaos caused by the demonstrations initiated by his son,” the statement said.

His son Flavio, a senator, called on his supporters to hold a rally near Bolsonaro’s home on Saturday night.

“Are you going to fight for your country or are you going to watch this from your couch on your phone? I invite you to fight with us,” Flavio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on Friday.

He said the vigil was to allow supporters to “pray for his health and the return of democracy in our country.”

Judge Moraes’ decision was based in part on “the possible transfer of Bolsonaro to an embassy close to his residence, given that investigations revealed a history of plans to apply for asylum through diplomatic representation,” a statement said.

Court documents emphasize that the U.S. Embassy in the capital Brasilia is about 13 kilometers (8 miles) from Bolsonaro’s home.

Bolsonaro’s legal woes have drawn the ire of right-wing populist U.S. President Donald Trump, prompting him to Impose 50% tariff on imported goods from Brazil.

Bolsonaro is being held at the federal police station in Brasilia and will face a detention hearing on Sunday.

It was not until Friday that the former president’s lawyers asked the Supreme Court to allow him to serve his entire sentence under house arrest with electronic monitoring.

They also asked that Bolsonaro be allowed to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he needs regular treatment for lung infections and other ailments.

Bolsonaro found guilty of leadership crimes A conspiracy to keep him in power after losing the 2022 election to his left-wing rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

The Supreme Court judge said he was aware of a plot that included plans to assassinate Lula and his vice presidential running mate Geraldo Alckmin, as well as to capture and execute Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who had been overseeing Bolsonaro’s trial.

The plot was foiled when it failed to gain support from army and air force commanders. Lula was successfully sworn in on January 1, 2023.

But a week later, on January 8, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalized government buildings in the capital, Brasilia.

Security forces intervened and about 1,500 people were arrested.

The judges found that the rioters were incited by Bolsonaro, who they said had planned to have the Brazilian military intervene to restore order and return him to power.

At the time, Bolsonaro’s lawyers called the sentence of 27 years and three months “excessive.”

He is also barred from running for office until 2060, eight years after his release from prison.

The former president called the trial a “witch hunt” and said it was aimed at preventing him from running in the 2026 presidential election.