Bolsonaro taken into custody after being considered a flight risk
Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was found guilty of orchestrating a government overthrow in September and sentenced more than 27 years in prison, but he continued under confinement pending appeals.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after fresh information came to light.
This involved trying to remove his tracking device and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could enable a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a document approving the custody, Justice Moraes said data from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his son.
His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a legislator, called for a assembly of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on digital networks on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or see it all from your smartphone 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 return of democracy in our land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's decision was the possibility of the former president's transfer to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a background of arranging to seek refuge through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The court filing underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist American leader President Trump, leading him to implement a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will experience a custody hearing on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be authorized to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he needed frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
The former president was found guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the presidential race to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a plan which involved plans to murder the current president and his running partner, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was stopped because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the military leaders. Lula was took office without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, thousands of his followers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the capital, Brasília.
The security forces intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been provoked by him whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to step in, restore order and return him to office.
At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 national vote.