Jair Bolsonaro arrested after being declared a flight risk
Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The ex-president was convicted of plotting a armed takeover in last fall and sentenced more than a 27-year term in jail, but he continued under confinement pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after recent developments were revealed.
This involved trying to remove his tracking device and a call for a demonstration that could enable a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a paperwork permitting the detention, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his escape.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his son.
His son, Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a gathering of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Will you battle for your country, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could "pray for his health and for the return of democracy in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's decision was the possibility of the former president's transfer to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of organizing to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The legal document highlights that the US embassy in the capital, the capital city, is located around 13km from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist American leader Donald Trump, causing him to implement a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will experience a custody hearing on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the High Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that the former president be permitted to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he demanded regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was determined responsible of leading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the presidential race to his political opponent, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a scheme which encompassed plans to assassinate his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was thwarted because it failed to get the support of the armed forces officials. The current president was inaugurated without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged official structures in the capital, Brasília.
The security forces stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The judges found that the protesters had been provoked by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the period, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The one-time head of state called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 national vote.