Jair Bolsonaro detained after being deemed a flight risk
Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was found guilty of orchestrating a armed takeover in the ninth month and sentenced more than a 27-year term in jail, but he was staying under home detention pending appeals.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after fresh information were revealed.
This included attempting to break his tracking device and a call for a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a document approving the custody, the magistrate said data from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's plan to remove the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His child, his son Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on digital networks on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or watch it all from your phone there on your couch? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the magistrate's ruling was the possibility of Bolsonaro's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a history of arranging to request asylum through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the US embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is situated around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist American leader Donald Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.
He is being kept in a national police facility in the capital and will undergo a detention review on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be allowed to leave his home for medical care, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was convicted of leading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the national vote to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a plot which involved plans to kill Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The plot was thwarted because it failed to get the support of the military leaders. The current president was took office without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, numerous his backers attacked and damaged official structures in the capital, Brasília.
The security forces took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The judges found that the rioters had been encouraged by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to step in, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the moment, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from running for public office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 presidential election.