Jair Bolsonaro detained after being considered a risk of fleeing
Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The former head of state was sentenced of orchestrating a government overthrow in last fall and handed more than 27 years in incarceration, but he was staying under house arrest pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after recent developments were revealed.
This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could enable a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said information from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His offspring, Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a meeting of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could offer prayers for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's determination was the potential of his "relocation to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a background of planning to request asylum through a consular facility", a declaration said.
The judicial paperwork highlights that the US embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is located around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist US President Trump, prompting him to enact a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being held in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will have a detention review on the next day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that the former president be permitted to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he needed frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was determined responsible of leading a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the national vote to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he knew of a plan which included plans to assassinate his opponent and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was stopped because it failed to get the support of the army and air force commanders. The current president was took office without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, numerous his backers attacked and damaged public facilities in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The security forces took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by him whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from running for public office until 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the court case a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him running in the next presidential race.