The former Brazilian president arrested after being considered a risk of fleeing
Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was convicted of orchestrating a armed takeover in September and sentenced more than a 27-year term in jail, but he remained under confinement pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after fresh information came to light.
This included seeking to disable his tracking device and a summons to a public vigil that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the custody, the magistrate said information from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the surveillance device to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the protest called by his son.
His offspring, Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on online platforms on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your sofa? I urge you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so backers could "pray for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our country."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the magistrate's ruling was the chance of Bolsonaro's transfer to embassies near the home, considering that the probes revealed a record of organizing to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The legal document underscores that the US embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 13km from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist US President Donald Trump, causing him to implement a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will experience a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also requested that the former president be permitted to leave his home for healthcare, saying he required ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was determined responsible of orchestrating a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he knew of a plot which included plans to kill the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it didn't receive the backing of the military leaders. The current president was sworn in without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, numerous his followers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the national capital, the capital city.
The police stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the period, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from running for public office until 2060 - 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.