Bolsonaro detained after being declared a risk of fleeing
The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was found guilty of plotting a military coup in September and given more than 27 years in jail, but he remained under confinement pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after fresh information were revealed.
This involved seeking to disable his tracking device and a call for a public vigil that could "allow for a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a document approving the detention, the judge said data from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the former leader's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the protest called by his offspring.
His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or watch it all from your phone there on your sofa? I urge you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
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 background of planning to ask for protection through a consular facility", a statement said.
The court filing underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist American leader Donald Trump, causing him to impose a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being detained in a national police facility in the capital and will experience a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on last Friday 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 asked that Bolsonaro be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he needed regular treatment for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
He was found guilty of leading a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the national vote to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plot which involved plans to kill the current president and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was stopped because it didn't receive the support of the military leaders. Lula was took office without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, numerous his followers attacked and damaged official structures in the national capital, the capital city.
The police stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to step in, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the trial a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 presidential election.