Jair Bolsonaro arrested after being deemed a flight risk
Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The ex-president was sentenced of planning a armed takeover in the ninth month and handed more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he remained under home detention pending court reviews.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a safety action after "new facts" emerged.
This included trying to remove his ankle monitor and a summons to a demonstration that could facilitate a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the custody, the magistrate said intelligence from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a senator, called for a gathering of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Will you battle for your nation, or observe everything from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so backers could "pray for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the magistrate's decision was the chance of his move to foreign missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of organizing to seek refuge through a consular facility", a statement said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brasilia, is situated around 8 miles from his dwelling.
International Reactions
His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative American leader Donald Trump, prompting him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will have a detention review on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be allowed to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he demanded ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
The former president was found guilty of heading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plot which encompassed plans to kill his opponent and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it failed to get the support of the armed forces officials. The current president was sworn in without problem on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, thousands of his backers invaded and destroyed official structures in the capital, Brasília.
The police took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to take action, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the trial a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him competing in the next presidential race.