Jair Bolsonaro detained after being declared a risk of fleeing
Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was found guilty of planning a military coup in the ninth month and given more than over two decades in incarceration, but he remained under confinement pending court reviews.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after fresh information emerged.
This involved attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the arrest, the judge said information from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the protest called by his offspring.
His child, Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your couch? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could offer prayers for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the possibility of his "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of organizing to request asylum through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is positioned around 13km from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist American leader Donald Trump, causing him to enact a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being detained in a national police facility in Brasilia and will have a custody hearing on the next day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also petitioned that he be permitted to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he needed frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was determined responsible of leading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the presidential race to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a plan which encompassed plans to murder Lula and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing the former president's case.
The conspiracy was prevented because it failed to get the backing of the military leaders. Lula was inaugurated without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on the eighth of January, thousands of his backers stormed and vandalised official structures in the capital, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The judges found that the rioters had been encouraged by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to take action, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him competing in the next presidential race.