Jair Bolsonaro taken into custody after being deemed a flight risk
Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was sentenced of orchestrating a military coup in last fall and sentenced more than over two decades in jail, but he remained under home detention pending court reviews.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after recent developments came to light.
This encompassed seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a public vigil that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the detention, the magistrate said intelligence from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the protest called by his child.
His child, his son Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a assembly of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Will you battle for your homeland, or observe everything from your phone there on your couch? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so backers could "pray for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the magistrate's ruling was the chance of Bolsonaro's "relocation to embassies near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a history of organizing to ask for protection through a consular facility", a statement said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the United States embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is situated around 8 miles from his dwelling.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist American leader Trump, prompting him to impose a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.
He is being held in a national police facility in the capital and will experience a detention review on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also requested that he be permitted to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he required regular treatment for lung conditions and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
He was convicted of orchestrating a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the national vote to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a scheme which involved plans to murder his opponent and his running partner, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was stopped because it didn't receive the support of the armed forces officials. His successor was took office without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a seven days after, on January 8th, numerous Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed official structures in the federal district, Brasília.
The law enforcement stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The justices found that the protesters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the period, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the next presidential race.