Bolsonaro taken into custody after being deemed a flight risk
Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was convicted of orchestrating a government overthrow in last fall and sentenced more than 27 years in incarceration, but he was staying under house arrest pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a precautionary step after fresh information emerged.
This involved attempting to break his tracking device and a call for a public vigil that could enable a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a document approving the detention, the judge said information from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the protest called by his child.
His son, his son Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a gathering of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so backers could "pray for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's "relocation to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of planning to request asylum through a embassy office", a statement said.
The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brasilia, is located around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist American leader Trump, prompting him to impose a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a Federal Police station in the capital and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be authorized to depart his residence for medical care, saying he demanded regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other ailments.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the national vote to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a plot which included plans to murder 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 the former president's case.
The conspiracy was prevented because it didn't receive the support of the army and air force commanders. His successor was inaugurated without problem on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged government buildings in the capital, the capital city.
The police stepped in and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been incited by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the next presidential race.