Bolsonaro taken into custody after being deemed a flight risk
Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was found guilty of planning a military coup in September and given more than over two decades in incarceration, but he remained under house arrest pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" were revealed.
This included trying to remove his ankle monitor and a call for a supporters' gathering that could enable a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a paperwork permitting the arrest, the judge said data from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the former leader's plan to remove the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His son, his son Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a assembly of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on social media on last Friday: Will you battle for your country, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's "relocation to foreign missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a background of arranging to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist United States President President Trump, prompting him to impose a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being kept in a Federal Police station in the capital and will undergo a custody hearing on the next day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the High Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also requested that the former president be authorized to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he required regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
The former president was determined responsible of leading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plot which involved plans to assassinate Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The plot was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the backing of the army and air force commanders. Lula was took office without problem on January 1st, 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, many his followers attacked and damaged government buildings in the federal district, the capital city.
The law enforcement took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The justices found that the protesters had been provoked by him whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, restore order and return him to office.
At the period, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 national vote.