The former Brazilian president taken into custody after being deemed a risk of fleeing
Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was sentenced of plotting a armed takeover in last fall and given more than 27 years in incarceration, but he continued under home detention pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after recent developments came to light.
This encompassed attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a document approving the custody, the magistrate said data from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the former leader's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his offspring.
His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a senator, called for a meeting of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on social media on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or observe everything from your phone there on your settee? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's ruling was the potential of his "relocation to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of arranging to ask for protection through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The court filing underscores that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is located around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative United States President President Trump, prompting him to implement a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.
He is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will experience a detention review on Sunday.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be authorized to leave his home for medical care, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
He was determined responsible of heading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the national vote to his ideological adversary, Lula.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plan which included plans to murder Lula and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was stopped because it failed to get the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. Lula was took office without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, thousands of his backers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the federal district, the capital city.
The security forces intervened and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.
The judges found that the rioters had been provoked by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The former president called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 presidential election.