Jair Bolsonaro taken into custody after being declared a risk of fleeing
Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The ex-president was found guilty of plotting a military coup in the ninth month and sentenced more than over two decades in incarceration, but he continued under home detention pending court reviews.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after "new facts" were revealed.
This included seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could enable a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a paperwork permitting the detention, the magistrate said information from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's aim to disable the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his child.
His child, his son Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a meeting of his supporters near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or see it all from your phone there on your settee? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could "pray for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the possibility of his move to foreign missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a record of arranging to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The legal document emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brasilia, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist United States President Donald Trump, leading him to implement a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.
The former president is being kept in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will have a detention review on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Top Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be allowed to depart his residence for medical care, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
The former president was convicted of heading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plot which involved plans to kill Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing his judicial proceedings.
The scheme was stopped because it failed to get the backing of the armed forces officials. Lula was inaugurated without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, many his backers attacked and damaged official structures in the capital, Brazil's capital.
The police intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose scheme, 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 over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 presidential election.