Bolsonaro arrested after being deemed a flight risk
Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was convicted of orchestrating a military coup in the ninth month and sentenced more than a 27-year term in prison, but he remained under confinement pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" came to light.
This involved seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a invitation to a demonstration that could facilitate a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a paperwork permitting the custody, the magistrate said intelligence from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his child.
His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a senator, called for a meeting of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on online platforms on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or watch it all from your phone there on your couch? I urge you to fight with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could offer prayers for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's determination was the chance of the former president's move to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a history of organizing to ask for protection through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The court filing highlights that the United States embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist US President Donald Trump, causing him to impose a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being held in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will experience a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that the former president be permitted to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
The former president was convicted of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the presidential race to his political opponent, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plan which involved plans to murder the current president and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The plot was stopped because it didn't receive the backing of the army and air force commanders. Lula was took office without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a following week, on the eighth of January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed official structures in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement intervened and around 1,500 people were detained.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been incited by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The one-time head of state called the court case a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 national vote.