Bolsonaro arrested after being deemed a escape threat
Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The one-time leader was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in the ninth month and handed more than over two decades in prison, but he remained under home detention pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after fresh information came to light.
This involved seeking to disable his tracking device and a invitation to a demonstration that could enable a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a paperwork permitting the custody, the magistrate said information from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the protest called by his child.
His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or see it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I urge you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the possibility of the former president's "relocation to embassies near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a background of planning to ask for protection through a embassy office", a statement said.
The judicial paperwork highlights that the US embassy in the capital, the capital city, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist United States President Trump, prompting him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being held in a national police facility in Brasilia and will have a custody hearing on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that he be authorized to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he demanded ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
He was determined responsible of heading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the national vote to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plot which involved plans to kill Lula and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the military leaders. Lula was inaugurated without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged public facilities in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been incited by him whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 national vote.