Jair Bolsonaro taken into custody after being deemed a flight risk
Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The former head of state was sentenced of planning a government overthrow in last fall and handed more than over two decades in incarceration, but he continued under confinement pending appeals.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" came to light.
This encompassed attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a call for a public vigil that could "allow for a possible escape.
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a document approving the arrest, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.
His offspring, FlĂĄvio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on social media on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could "pray for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's determination was the possibility of Bolsonaro's "relocation to embassies near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of arranging to seek refuge through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The judicial paperwork highlights that the US embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist US President Donald Trump, leading him to enact a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will have a custody hearing on the following day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also asked that the former president be allowed to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he required ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
He was convicted of leading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the national vote to his political opponent, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a scheme which encompassed plans to kill the current president and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The plot was thwarted because it didn't receive the backing of the army and air force commanders. The current president was took office without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, thousands of his followers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the national capital, BrasĂlia.
The security forces intervened and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been incited by him whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to step in, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 presidential election.
