Jair Bolsonaro detained after being deemed a flight risk
The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The former head of state was found guilty of planning a armed takeover in September and handed more than over two decades in prison, but he continued under home detention pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after fresh information came to light.
This involved seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a demonstration that could facilitate a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the detention, the judge said data from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the tracking monitor to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his child.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a senator, called for a meeting of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on digital networks on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's decision was the possibility of Bolsonaro's transfer to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a history of arranging to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The legal document underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brazil's capital, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist United States President Donald Trump, prompting him to implement a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being kept in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that the former president be authorized to depart his residence for medical care, saying he needed regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was found guilty of orchestrating a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a scheme which involved plans to murder Lula and his running partner, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the support of the army and air force commanders. Lula was inaugurated without problem on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, thousands of his backers attacked and damaged government buildings in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The security forces stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been provoked by him whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 national vote.