Bolsonaro detained after being declared a escape threat
Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The former head of state was found guilty of orchestrating a government overthrow in the ninth month and given more than over two decades in prison, but he continued under confinement pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a safety action after recent developments came to light.
This included trying to remove his tracking device and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a document approving the detention, the judge said information from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his escape.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a senator, called for a gathering of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Will you battle for your country, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could offer prayers for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's ruling was the potential of the former president's transfer to foreign missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of arranging to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The court filing highlights that the US embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist US President Trump, leading him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will have a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also asked that the former president be authorized to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he required frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was found guilty of orchestrating a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the presidential race to his political opponent, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a scheme which included plans to assassinate the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been managing the former president's case.
The scheme was prevented because it failed to get the backing of the military leaders. Lula was took office without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, many his backers invaded and destroyed official structures in the national capital, BrasÃlia.
The security forces stepped in and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the court case a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 presidential election.