Jair Bolsonaro taken into custody after being considered a flight risk
Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The former head of state was sentenced of plotting a military coup in September and sentenced more than 27 years in incarceration, but he continued under confinement pending court reviews.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after fresh information emerged.
This included trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a call for a public vigil that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said information from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his child.
His offspring, Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a gathering of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on digital networks on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could "pray for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our country."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the chance of his "relocation to embassies near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a background of arranging to ask for protection through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is located around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative American leader President Trump, prompting him to impose a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being held in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be authorized to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he demanded ongoing care for lung conditions and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
The former president was convicted of leading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the presidential race to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plan which included plans to kill the current president and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was prevented because it failed to get the backing of the army and air force commanders. His successor was took office without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, many his backers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the national capital, Brasília.
The security forces stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the time, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 national vote.