Jair Bolsonaro arrested after being deemed a flight risk
The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was sentenced of orchestrating a military coup in the ninth month and given more than a 27-year term in jail, but he continued under home detention pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after recent developments emerged.
This involved attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a summons to a public vigil that could facilitate a possible escape.
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a document approving the custody, Justice Moraes said information from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's aim to disable the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His son, FlĂ¡vio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your couch? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's ruling was the chance of the former president's move to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a history of arranging to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the United States embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is situated around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist American leader President Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will have a custody hearing on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be permitted to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he required ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
The former president was determined responsible of orchestrating a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a scheme which included plans to assassinate the current president and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been managing his judicial proceedings.
The scheme was prevented because it couldn't obtain the backing of the military leaders. His successor was took office without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, thousands of his backers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the capital, Brazil's capital.
The security forces stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The justices found that the protesters had been incited by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to take action, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from running for public office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 national vote.