Jair Bolsonaro arrested after being considered a escape threat
The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was convicted of orchestrating a government overthrow in last fall and handed more than 27 years in prison, but he continued under confinement pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" came to light.
This involved seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a invitation to a demonstration that could "allow for a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a document approving the arrest, Justice Moraes said information from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the protest called by his offspring.
His offspring, his son Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a gathering of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on online platforms on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your settee? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's determination was the chance of Bolsonaro's transfer to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a history of planning to request asylum through a consular facility", a statement said.
The court filing underscores that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist United States President President Trump, causing him to enact 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 last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also asked that the former president be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he needed frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
The former president was determined responsible of heading a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plot which included plans to murder the current president and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The plot was prevented because it failed to get the endorsement of the armed forces officials. His successor was sworn in without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged public facilities in the federal district, the capital city.
The security forces stepped in and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been incited by him whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to take action, reestablish control and bring him back to power.
At the time, the legal team called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The one-time head of state called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 national vote.