Jair Bolsonaro arrested after being considered a risk of fleeing
The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The former head of state was sentenced of orchestrating a government overthrow in September and handed more than over two decades in incarceration, but he continued under home detention pending appeals.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" came to light.
This included trying to remove his tracking device and a call for a public vigil that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a document approving the detention, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a senator, called for a gathering of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your country, or observe everything from your phone there on your sofa? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could seek divine intervention 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 potential of the former president's "relocation to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a background of arranging to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The judicial paperwork highlights that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.
Global Responses
His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative United States President President Trump, prompting him to impose a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will experience a detention review on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that he be authorized to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he needed frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the national vote to his political opponent, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plan which encompassed plans to assassinate Lula and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The plot was stopped because it failed to get the backing of the armed forces officials. Lula was took office without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, many Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed public facilities in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement took action and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.
The judges found that the protesters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.
At the period, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The former president called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the next presidential race.