Bolsonaro taken into custody after being deemed a escape threat
Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The ex-president was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in last fall and handed more than 27 years in jail, but he remained under confinement pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after fresh information emerged.
This involved seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said data from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the protest called by his child.
His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a senator, called for a assembly of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or observe everything from your phone there on your couch? I urge you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could offer prayers for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the possibility of the former president's transfer to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a history of planning to seek refuge through a consular facility", a statement said.
The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is located around 13km from his dwelling.
Global Responses
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist US President Donald Trump, prompting him to impose a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being detained in a Federal Police station in the capital and will experience 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 Top Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that he be permitted to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he demanded ongoing care for lung conditions and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was determined responsible of orchestrating a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the national vote to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plan which included plans to murder the current president and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing his judicial proceedings.
The scheme was prevented because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the armed forces officials. His successor was sworn in without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, many Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised public facilities in the capital, Brazil's capital.
The security forces took action and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from running for public office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
