Bolsonaro detained after being deemed a risk of fleeing
Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was found guilty of planning a armed takeover in the ninth month and sentenced more than a 27-year term in jail, but he remained under house arrest pending court reviews.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after fresh information emerged.
This involved trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a public vigil that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a document approving the custody, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his flight.
This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his child.
His child, his son Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a gathering of his followers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on social media on the previous day: Will you battle for your country, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your sofa? I urge you to battle 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 country."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the magistrate's decision was the possibility of the former president's move to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a record of organizing to request asylum through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The court filing emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brasilia, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
Global Responses
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist United States President President Trump, causing him to impose a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that the former president be allowed to leave his home for healthcare, saying he needed frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was found guilty of leading a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the 2022 election to his political opponent, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a scheme which involved plans to assassinate the current president and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been managing his judicial proceedings.
The scheme was prevented because it didn't receive the backing of the army and air force commanders. Lula was inaugurated without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on January 8th, numerous his backers stormed and vandalised official structures in the capital, the capital city.
The law enforcement took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to step in, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the time, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 presidential election.