Jair Bolsonaro detained after being considered a escape threat
Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was found guilty of planning a military coup in the ninth month and given more than over two decades in incarceration, but he continued under home detention pending court reviews.
Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the move to detain the elderly politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" emerged.
This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a public vigil that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a paperwork permitting the arrest, Justice Moraes said data from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a senator, called for a assembly of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your couch? I invite you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's ruling was the possibility of his move to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a history of arranging to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The court filing emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, the capital city, is situated around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist US President Donald Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will experience a custody hearing on the next day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also requested that he be allowed to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he required regular treatment for lung conditions and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was convicted of heading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plot which encompassed plans to murder his opponent and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing his judicial proceedings.
The scheme was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the armed forces officials. His successor was took office without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, many Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed public facilities in the national capital, Brasília.
The police took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The judges found that the rioters had been provoked by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the period, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the court case a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 national vote.