Jair Bolsonaro arrested after being considered a risk of fleeing
Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The ex-president was found guilty of planning a military coup in September and sentenced more than over two decades in jail, but he was staying under home detention pending appeals.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after recent developments were revealed.
This encompassed seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could enable a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a document approving the detention, the judge said information from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's aim to disable the tracking monitor 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, Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a meeting of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on social media on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or see it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I urge you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's decision was the chance of his "relocation to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a background of arranging to request asylum through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The legal document emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brazil's capital, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist US President Trump, prompting him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being held in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a custody hearing on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.
They also requested that he be permitted to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he needed regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was determined responsible of heading a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the national vote to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plot which encompassed plans to assassinate his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it didn't receive the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. The current president was sworn in without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged public facilities in the national capital, the capital city.
The security forces took action and around fifteen hundred individuals 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 take action, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him participating in the next presidential race.