Jair Bolsonaro taken into custody after being deemed a risk of fleeing
The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in last fall and given more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he remained under confinement pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after recent developments came to light.
This included attempting to break his ankle monitor and a summons to a demonstration that could enable a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the detention, Justice Moraes said information from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's plan to remove the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
His son wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Will you battle for your homeland, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your settee? I urge you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so backers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's ruling was the possibility of the former president's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of arranging to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the US embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is positioned around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative United States President President Trump, prompting him to implement a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being held in a Federal Police station in the capital and will experience a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that the former president be permitted to leave his home for medical care, saying he required frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
The former president was found guilty of heading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plot which encompassed plans to kill his opponent and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The scheme was thwarted because it didn't receive the support of the army and air force commanders. His successor was sworn in without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, numerous his followers attacked and damaged official structures in the capital, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been encouraged by him whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the time, the legal team called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from campaigning for office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.
The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him participating in the next presidential race.