Jair Bolsonaro detained after being declared a flight risk
Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.
The former head of state was found guilty of orchestrating a government overthrow in the ninth month and sentenced more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he continued under house arrest pending court reviews.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after recent developments were revealed.
This included attempting to break his ankle monitor and a call for a demonstration that could enable a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a document approving the custody, the magistrate said intelligence from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the former leader's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His son, his son Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a meeting of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
His son wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Will you battle for your nation, or see it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I call on you to struggle 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 land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's ruling was the potential of Bolsonaro's transfer to embassies near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a history of planning to ask for protection through a embassy office", a statement said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, the capital city, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist US President Donald Trump, prompting him to impose a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
Bolsonaro is being held in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will have a detention review on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be permitted to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he needed ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
He was determined responsible of heading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Lula.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a scheme which encompassed plans to murder Lula and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing his judicial proceedings.
The scheme was prevented because it didn't receive the endorsement of the military leaders. The current president was took office without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, numerous his followers invaded and destroyed official structures in the capital, Brasília.
The police took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.
The justices found that the rioters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, restore order and return him to office.
At the moment, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from campaigning for office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 presidential election.