Jair Bolsonaro taken into custody after being declared a flight risk
Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The one-time leader was sentenced of orchestrating a government overthrow in September and sentenced more than over two decades in incarceration, but he continued under home detention pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after "new facts" came to light.
This involved seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a call for a demonstration that could enable a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a document approving the custody, the magistrate said information from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the former leader's plan to remove the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.
His offspring, Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could "pray for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the potential of Bolsonaro's move to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a background of arranging to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The legal document emphasizes that the US embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is located around 8 miles from his dwelling.
International Reactions
His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist United States President Donald Trump, causing him to implement a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will have a custody hearing on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also petitioned that he be authorized to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he required ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was convicted of heading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plan which involved plans to assassinate the current president and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The scheme was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the backing of the armed forces officials. Lula was inaugurated without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a seven days after, on January 8th, numerous Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised government buildings in the federal district, BrasĂlia.
The security forces intervened and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been incited by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.
At the time, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also banned from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 presidential election.