Bolsonaro taken into custody after being considered a escape threat
Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The one-time leader was convicted of planning a government overthrow in last fall and given more than over two decades in jail, but he was staying under home detention pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" emerged.
This involved seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a summons to a public vigil that could enable a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns
In a document approving the arrest, the magistrate said intelligence from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His son, Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a meeting of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on digital networks on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or see it all from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's decision was the possibility of Bolsonaro's transfer to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a background of organizing to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the United States embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is located around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist American leader Donald Trump, prompting him to implement a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will experience a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be allowed to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he demanded regular treatment for lung conditions and other ailments.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was found guilty of orchestrating a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plan which included plans to kill Lula and his running partner, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over the former president's case.
The plot was stopped because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the armed forces officials. The current president was sworn in without issue on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, many his backers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the capital, BrasĂlia.
The law enforcement stepped in and around 1,500 people were detained.
The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to step in, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the moment, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.