Bolsonaro detained after being declared a risk of fleeing
Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was convicted of plotting a armed takeover in last fall and sentenced more than over two decades in prison, but he remained under confinement pending court reviews.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" came to light.
This encompassed attempting to break his ankle monitor and a summons to a demonstration that could facilitate a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns
In a paperwork permitting the arrest, Justice Moraes said data from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his offspring.
His son, Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a assembly of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I invite you to struggle with us."
He said the gathering would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's determination was the possibility of the former president's transfer to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a history of planning to seek refuge through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The judicial paperwork highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 13km from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative American leader Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a detention review on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also requested that he be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was determined responsible of leading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the national vote to his political opponent, Lula.
High Court judges said that he knew of a plot which included plans to murder the current president and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The scheme was prevented because it didn't receive the support of the army and air force commanders. The current president was took office without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a seven days after, on January 8th, thousands of his backers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the capital, the capital city.
The law enforcement took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the time, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
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 trial a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 presidential election.