Jair Bolsonaro taken into custody after being considered a risk of fleeing
Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.
The ex-president was found guilty of plotting a military coup in last fall and given more than a 27-year term in prison, but he was staying under home detention pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a precautionary step after fresh information were revealed.
This involved attempting to break his ankle monitor and a invitation to a demonstration that could "allow for a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a document approving the custody, the magistrate 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 guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his son.
His offspring, his son Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or see it all from your phone 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 reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's determination was the chance of Bolsonaro's "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a record of organizing to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 8 miles from his dwelling.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative American leader President Trump, prompting him to impose a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a national police facility 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 Top Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that the former president be authorized to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the presidential race to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plan which encompassed plans to murder the current president and his running partner, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The scheme was stopped because it couldn't obtain the support of the armed forces officials. Lula was sworn in without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, numerous his backers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The judges found that the rioters had been incited by him whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the time, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from running for public office until 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the next presidential race.