Bolsonaro arrested after being deemed a risk of fleeing
Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.
The former head of state was found guilty of planning a government overthrow in September and handed more than over two decades in prison, but he was staying under home detention pending appeals.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" were revealed.
This encompassed attempting to break his ankle monitor and a invitation to a demonstration that could enable a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the custody, the judge said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's plan to remove the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His offspring, FlĂ¡vio, who serves as a legislator, called for a gathering of his followers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on online platforms on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or observe everything from your phone there on your sofa? I invite you to struggle with us."
He said the gathering would be so backers could "pray for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's move to foreign missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of planning to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the United States embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is positioned around 13km from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist American leader President Trump, prompting him to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a custody hearing on the next 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 serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that he be allowed to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the national vote to his ideological adversary, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a scheme which encompassed plans to kill the current president and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was stopped because it didn't receive the endorsement of the armed forces officials. The current president was sworn in without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, many his backers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the national capital, BrasĂlia.
The police took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been provoked by him whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the period, the legal team called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 national vote.
