Jair Bolsonaro taken into custody after being considered a flight risk
The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The former head of state was sentenced of plotting a armed takeover in the ninth month and handed more than over two decades in prison, but he continued under house arrest pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a precautionary step after recent developments were revealed.
This involved seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the detention, the judge said information from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the surveillance device to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a legislator, called for a meeting of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
His son wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or observe everything from your phone there on your settee? I urge you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's determination was the potential of the former president's "relocation to embassies near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a history of arranging to ask for protection through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the US embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is situated around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative American leader Donald Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being kept in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also requested that he be allowed to leave his home for medical care, saying he needed frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was convicted of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the presidential race to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plan which included plans to kill the current president and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was prevented because it didn't receive the support of the army and air force commanders. The current president was took office without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, many his followers attacked and damaged official structures in the federal district, the capital city.
The police took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by him whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the period, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 presidential election.