Jair Bolsonaro detained after being declared a flight risk
Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The ex-president was convicted of orchestrating a military coup in the ninth month and sentenced more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he was staying under home detention pending appeals.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after fresh information came to light.
This encompassed seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a call for a supporters' gathering that could enable a possible escape.
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a document approving the arrest, Justice Moraes said data from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his son.
His offspring, Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a assembly of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your phone there on your couch? I invite you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers 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 determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's "relocation to embassies near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of planning to ask for protection through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the US embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is situated around 13km from his dwelling.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative American leader Donald Trump, causing him to implement a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will have a custody hearing on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be permitted to depart his residence for medical care, saying he required ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other ailments.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was determined responsible of leading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a scheme which involved plans to kill Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing the former president's case.
The conspiracy was prevented because it couldn't obtain the backing of the armed forces officials. Lula was took office without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed government buildings in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The judges found that the protesters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also banned from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the next presidential race.