The former Brazilian president detained after being declared a flight risk

Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.

The former head of state was found guilty of plotting a military coup in September and sentenced more than over two decades in incarceration, but he continued under confinement pending court reviews.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after recent developments came to light.

This included trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a public vigil that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks

In a paperwork permitting the detention, the judge said data from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his flight.

This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his child.

His child, his son Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a meeting of his backers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.

The senator wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Will you battle for your homeland, or see it all from your phone there on your sofa? I invite you to struggle with us."

He said the demonstration 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 the judge's decision was the possibility of his move to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a record of planning to seek refuge through a embassy office", a announcement said.

The judicial paperwork underscores that the United States embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 8 miles from his dwelling.

International Reactions

His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist US President Donald Trump, prompting him to implement a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.

He is being held in a national police facility in Brasilia and will undergo a detention review on the following day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also requested that the former president be authorized to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

He was found guilty of orchestrating a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the national vote to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plot which included plans to assassinate Lula and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.

The plot was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the armed forces officials. Lula was inaugurated without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, thousands of his backers attacked and damaged official structures in the national capital, the capital city.

The police took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.

The justices found that the rioters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army 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 barred from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.

The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 national vote.