Bolsonaro arrested after being considered a flight risk
Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was found guilty of planning a military coup in last fall and handed more than over two decades in prison, but he continued under house arrest pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after "new facts" emerged.
This included attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could enable a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the detention, the judge said information from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the former leader's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.
His offspring, Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a assembly of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or watch it all from your phone there on your settee? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the potential of Bolsonaro's move to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a background of planning to request asylum through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The judicial paperwork highlights that the United States embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative American leader President Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a Federal Police station in the capital and will experience a detention review on the next day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be permitted to leave his home for medical care, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was convicted of heading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the national vote to his political opponent, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plot which included plans to kill the current president and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing his judicial proceedings.
The scheme was prevented because it couldn't obtain the support of the armed forces officials. The current president was took office without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, many Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged public facilities in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The police intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The justices found that the rioters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to take action, reestablish control and bring him back to power.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also banned from running for public office until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The former president called the court case a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 national vote.