Jair Bolsonaro detained after being deemed a flight risk
The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was sentenced of planning a military coup in the ninth month and sentenced more than 27 years in prison, but he continued under house arrest pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after fresh information were revealed.
This involved trying to remove his ankle monitor and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the detention, Justice Moraes said data from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the former leader's aim to disable the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his child.
His son, Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on the previous day: Will you battle for your homeland, or watch it all from your mobile device 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 health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the magistrate's decision was the possibility of his "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a history of planning to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The legal document highlights that the US embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 8 miles from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist United States President Trump, causing him to implement a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a national police facility in Brasilia and will experience a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be authorized to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he required regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was determined responsible of orchestrating a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the national vote to his political opponent, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plot which included plans to murder the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing the former president's case.
The plot was thwarted because it failed to get the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. Lula was sworn in without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, many Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed government buildings in the federal district, the capital city.
The security forces stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.
The judges found that the rioters had been encouraged by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the period, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 national vote.