Jair Bolsonaro arrested after being declared a escape threat
The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.
The former head of state was convicted of orchestrating a government overthrow in the ninth month and handed more than 27 years in prison, but he continued under house arrest pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" emerged.
This included attempting to break his tracking device and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could enable a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a paperwork permitting the arrest, the magistrate said information from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the protest called by his child.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a legislator, called for a gathering of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or see it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's determination was the possibility of his "relocation to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of planning to request asylum through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The court filing emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brasilia, is situated around 13km from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative US President Trump, leading him to implement a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.
He is being held in a Federal Police station in the capital and will experience a imprisonment assessment on the next day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he required frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
The former president was found guilty of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the national vote to his ideological adversary, Lula.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plot which encompassed plans to murder the current president and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the support of the army and air force commanders. His successor was sworn in without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, many his backers attacked and damaged official structures in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The police intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, the legal team called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 presidential election.