Bolsonaro detained after being deemed a risk of fleeing
Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was found guilty of plotting a government overthrow in last fall and given more than 27 years in incarceration, but he continued under confinement pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after recent developments emerged.
This encompassed trying to remove his ankle monitor and a invitation to a demonstration that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a paperwork permitting the custody, Justice Moraes said data from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the protest called by his child.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on social media on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or see it all from your phone there on your couch? I urge you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the magistrate's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a background of organizing to seek refuge through a embassy office", a statement said.
The legal document emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, the capital city, is situated around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist United States President Donald Trump, leading him to implement a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being detained in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city 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 permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be permitted to leave his home for healthcare, saying he demanded regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was determined responsible of heading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the national vote to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a scheme which involved plans to kill Lula and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing the former president's case.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the armed forces officials. Lula was inaugurated without issue on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, thousands of his backers stormed and vandalised official structures in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The police stepped in and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The justices found that the rioters had been encouraged by him whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to step in, reestablish control and bring him back to power.
At the moment, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 national vote.