Bolsonaro arrested after being deemed a risk of fleeing
Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.
The ex-president was found guilty of orchestrating a military coup in last fall and given more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he remained under confinement pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after recent developments emerged.
This included seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a call for a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the custody, Justice Moraes said information from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the former leader's aim to disable the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His child, Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a gathering of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on online platforms on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or observe everything from your phone there on your sofa? I urge you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the chance of his move to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a background of arranging to request asylum through a consular facility", a declaration said.
The court filing emphasizes that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative American leader Donald Trump, prompting him to impose a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being held in a national police facility in the capital and will experience a detention review on Sunday.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that the former president be permitted to leave his home for medical care, saying he required regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
He was determined responsible of heading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plot which included plans to kill the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was prevented because it couldn't obtain the backing of the army and air force commanders. The current president was took office without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, numerous his followers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the capital, Brazil's capital.
The security forces stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been incited by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the moment, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also banned from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The former president called the trial a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the next presidential race.