Jair Bolsonaro detained after being declared a risk of fleeing
The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The one-time leader was sentenced of plotting a military coup in the ninth month and sentenced more than 27 years in jail, but he continued under confinement pending court reviews.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a preventative measure after fresh information emerged.
This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a summons to a demonstration that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a paperwork permitting the custody, the magistrate said data from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's "intention to break the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His offspring, his son Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a assembly of his followers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on social media on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or see it all from your phone there on your settee? I invite you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the potential of his "relocation to foreign missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a background of planning to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The legal document emphasizes that the US embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
Global Responses
His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist US President Trump, prompting him to enact a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being held in a national police facility in the capital and will undergo a custody hearing on the next day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be allowed to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
He was determined responsible of heading a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the national vote to his political opponent, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a scheme which encompassed plans to murder Lula and his running partner, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The plot was prevented because it didn't receive the support of the armed forces officials. Lula was inaugurated without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, thousands of his followers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the capital, Brasília.
The law enforcement intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to step in, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The former president called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the next presidential race.