Jair Bolsonaro detained after being declared a flight risk
Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in the ninth month and sentenced more than 27 years in prison, but he continued under home detention pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" emerged.
This involved seeking to disable his tracking device and a call for a demonstration that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a document approving the custody, Justice Moraes said data from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the protest called by his child.
His son, Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a meeting of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on social media on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or see it all from your phone there on your sofa? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the possibility of Bolsonaro's move to foreign missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a record of planning to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The legal document emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brasilia, is situated around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist United States President Trump, leading him to enact a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a detention review on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also petitioned that he be authorized to leave his home for healthcare, saying he required regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was determined responsible of orchestrating a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the national vote to his ideological adversary, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plot which included plans to kill the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was prevented because it didn't receive the endorsement of the military leaders. Lula was inaugurated without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on January 8th, numerous Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised official structures in the national capital, BrasÃlia.
The police took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to step in, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the moment, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from seeking elected position until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the court case a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 national vote.
