🔗 Share this article The former Brazilian president taken into custody after being considered a flight risk Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement. The former head of state was found guilty of planning a military coup in last fall and sentenced more than 27 years in jail, but he was staying under house arrest pending appeals. Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after recent developments emerged. This encompassed trying to remove his ankle monitor and a call for a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a possible escape. Judicial Records Show Escape Risks In a filing authorising the arrest, Justice Moraes said information from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his flight. This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his son. His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night. Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I call on you to struggle with us." He said the vigil would be so backers could offer prayers for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country." Embassy Asylum Concerns Part of the judge's ruling was the chance of the former president's move to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a history of planning to ask for protection through a embassy office", a statement said. The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the US embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence. Global Responses His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative United States President President Trump, prompting him to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports. Bolsonaro is being kept in a national police facility in the capital and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday. Recent Legal Requests It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with tracking devices. They also petitioned that the former president be allowed to leave his home for medical care, saying he needed regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other ailments. Details of Guilty Verdict The former president was determined responsible of heading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Lula. High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plot which included plans to assassinate the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings. The conspiracy was stopped because it failed to get the endorsement of the armed forces officials. The current president was inaugurated without incident on January 1st, 2023. But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised public facilities in the capital, Brasília. The police took action and around 1,500 people were detained. The judges found that the demonstrators had been incited by him whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, reestablish control and bring him back to power. At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh. He was also banned from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence. The former president called the trial a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the next presidential race.