Bolsonaro arrested after being declared a risk of fleeing
Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The former head of state was convicted of planning a government overthrow in last fall and given more than a 27-year term in prison, but he remained under confinement pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" emerged.
This encompassed seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a public vigil that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the custody, the magistrate said data from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's plan to remove the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the protest called by his child.
His offspring, Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a assembly of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your settee? I urge you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's determination was the potential of the former president's move to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a background of planning to seek refuge through a consular facility", a declaration said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the US embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is located around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist United States President Trump, causing him to impose a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being held in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also asked that the former president be permitted to depart his residence for medical care, saying he required frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
The former president was determined responsible of leading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he knew of a plot which involved plans to kill Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was stopped because it didn't receive the support of the army and air force commanders. His successor was inaugurated without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised official structures in the federal district, Brasília.
The security forces stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been provoked by him whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to take action, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from seeking elected position until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the next presidential race.