The former Brazilian president arrested after being declared a flight risk
Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.
The ex-president was convicted of orchestrating a government overthrow in last fall and sentenced more than over two decades in incarceration, but he was staying under house arrest pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after recent developments came to light.
This involved seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the custody, the judge said information 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 escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the protest called by his son.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or watch it all from your phone there on your couch? I invite you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the chance of the former president's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of arranging to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The court filing underscores that the US embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is positioned around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist US President President Trump, leading him to implement a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
He is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that the former president be authorized to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he required ongoing care for lung conditions and other ailments.
Context of Sentencing
He was convicted of leading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the 2022 election to his political opponent, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plot which involved plans to kill the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The scheme was stopped because it couldn't obtain the backing of the military leaders. His successor was inaugurated without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, many Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged government buildings in the capital, BrasĂlia.
The police stepped in and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been incited by him whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two 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 competing in the 2026 presidential election.
