Jair Bolsonaro taken into custody after being declared a flight risk
The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was sentenced of planning a military coup in the ninth month and given more than 27 years in incarceration, but he continued under confinement pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" emerged.
This encompassed seeking to disable his tracking device and a invitation to a public vigil that could enable a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said data from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his offspring.
His offspring, Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a assembly of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on online platforms on Friday: Will you battle for your country, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your couch? I invite you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our country."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's determination was the possibility of his "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a history of arranging to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the US embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is located around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist United States President Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
He is being held in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will experience a detention review on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also asked that he be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was determined responsible of orchestrating a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plan which encompassed plans to assassinate the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was stopped because it didn't receive the support of the armed forces officials. Lula was sworn in without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, many his backers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the capital, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The justices found that the protesters had been provoked by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the period, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him competing in the next presidential race.