Jair Bolsonaro arrested after being deemed a flight risk
The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.
The one-time leader was found guilty of plotting a armed takeover in the ninth month and given more than a 27-year term in jail, but he remained under house arrest pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the move to detain the elderly politician was a safety action after "new facts" came to light.
This involved attempting to break his ankle monitor and a invitation to a public vigil that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the custody, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His child, Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a gathering of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Will you battle for your nation, or see it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could "pray for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's ruling was the possibility of his "relocation to embassies near the home, considering that the probes revealed a record of arranging to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The legal document underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, the capital city, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative US President President Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.
The former president is being held in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will experience a detention review on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be authorized to leave his home for medical care, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was determined responsible of heading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the national vote to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plot which encompassed plans to assassinate the current president and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it didn't receive the backing of the armed forces officials. His successor was sworn in without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged public facilities in the national capital, BrasĂlia.
The law enforcement took action and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.
The judges found that the protesters had been encouraged by him whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the moment, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from running for public office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The former president called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 national vote.