Jair Bolsonaro arrested after being considered a flight risk
Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The ex-president was sentenced of planning a armed takeover in September and handed more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he was staying under confinement pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after recent developments emerged.
This involved attempting to break his tracking device and a summons to a public vigil that could enable a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the arrest, Justice Moraes said data from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his child.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his followers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your settee? I invite you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's determination was the chance of the former president's transfer to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a history of arranging to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The court filing highlights that the US embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist American leader President Trump, leading him to enact a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being held in a Federal Police station in Brasilia 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 allow him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that he be allowed to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he needed frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
He was found guilty of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the national vote to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a scheme which involved plans to murder Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was prevented because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the armed forces officials. The current president was sworn in without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged official structures in the federal district, Brasília.
The security forces stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been incited by him whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to take action, reestablish control and bring him back to power.
At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 presidential election.