Bolsonaro taken into custody after being considered a flight risk
Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.
The ex-president was found guilty of orchestrating a government overthrow in the ninth month and sentenced more than over two decades in prison, but he continued under home detention pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after recent developments emerged.
This encompassed trying to remove his ankle monitor and a call for a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns
In a paperwork permitting the custody, the magistrate said data from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's "intention to break the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his offspring.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on social media on Friday: Will you battle for your nation, or watch it all from your phone there on your sofa? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so supporters could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our country."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's ruling was the possibility of the former president's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of planning to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist American leader President Trump, causing him to enact a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
The former president is being detained in a national police facility in Brasilia and will experience a custody hearing on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that the former president be authorized to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was convicted of orchestrating a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the national vote to his ideological adversary, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a scheme which encompassed plans to murder the current president and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it didn't receive the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. The current president was sworn in without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, numerous Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed official structures in the capital, Brazil's capital.
The security forces took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to take action, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the time, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 national vote.