Jair Bolsonaro detained after being considered a risk of fleeing
The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.
The former head of state was convicted of plotting a armed takeover in last fall and sentenced more than a 27-year term in jail, but he was staying under home detention pending appeals.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" came to light.
This involved seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could enable a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a document approving the custody, the magistrate said information from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the tracking monitor to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the protest called by his son.
His child, his son Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a assembly of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.
His son wrote on social media on the previous day: Will you battle for your country, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your couch? I invite you to struggle with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could "pray for his health and for the return of democracy in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's determination was the possibility of Bolsonaro's transfer to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of organizing to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The court filing emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brasilia, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.
Global Responses
His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative United States President President Trump, causing him to implement a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being held in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will experience a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that he be authorized to leave his home for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was convicted of orchestrating a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the presidential race to his political opponent, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plan which included plans to murder his opponent and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been managing the former president's case.
The conspiracy was stopped because it couldn't obtain the backing of the army and air force commanders. Lula was inaugurated without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a following week, on the eighth of January, many Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed official structures in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The security forces stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been incited by him whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the period, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from running for public office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 presidential election.