Bolsonaro arrested after being considered a flight risk
Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The ex-president was sentenced of plotting a government overthrow in last fall and given more than a 27-year term in prison, but he was staying under confinement pending court reviews.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after fresh information were revealed.
This included attempting to break his tracking device and a summons to a demonstration that could enable a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the custody, the magistrate said information from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his offspring.
His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or observe everything from your phone there on your sofa? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's determination was the possibility of his "relocation to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a history of organizing to ask for protection through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The legal document underscores that the United States embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative US President President Trump, prompting him to enact a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will experience a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also requested that the former president be permitted to leave his home for medical care, saying he required frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was determined responsible of orchestrating a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a scheme which encompassed plans to assassinate his opponent and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was prevented because it failed to get the backing of the military leaders. His successor was sworn in without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, thousands of his followers stormed and vandalised official structures in the national capital, Brasília.
The police intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been incited by him whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to take action, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.
At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from running for public office until 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The former president called the court case a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the next presidential race.