Bolsonaro taken into custody after being considered a flight risk
The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was convicted of planning a armed takeover in September and sentenced more than over two decades in jail, but he continued under home detention pending court reviews.
Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" emerged.
This encompassed seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a call for a demonstration that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the custody, the judge said information from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's aim to disable the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his child.
His child, Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a gathering of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on digital networks on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your couch? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's decision was the potential of his move to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a history of planning to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The legal document underscores that the US embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is located around 13km from his dwelling.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist US President Donald Trump, causing him to enact a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being held in a national police facility in the capital and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he demanded regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
He was convicted of orchestrating a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the national vote to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a scheme which encompassed plans to murder Lula and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was stopped because it didn't receive the endorsement of the armed forces officials. His successor was inaugurated without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, many his followers invaded and destroyed official structures in the capital, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.
The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been incited by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.
At the time, the legal team called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him participating in the next presidential race.