Bolsonaro detained after being declared a risk of fleeing
Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was convicted of orchestrating a armed takeover in September and handed more than 27 years in jail, but he continued under house arrest pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" came to light.
This included attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a call for a public vigil that could "allow for a possible escape.
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the detention, Justice Moraes said information from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His son, his son Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a assembly of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or see it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could "pray for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's decision was the possibility of the former president's move to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of arranging to seek refuge through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The court filing underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist United States President President Trump, leading him to implement a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.
He is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will have a imprisonment assessment on the next day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.
They also petitioned that he be authorized to depart his residence for medical care, saying he needed regular treatment for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plot which involved plans to kill his opponent and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The scheme was stopped because it didn't receive the support of the military leaders. The current president was sworn in without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a seven days after, on January 8th, thousands of his backers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The justices found that the rioters had been encouraged by him whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to step in, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the period, the legal team 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 end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 national vote.