The former Brazilian president arrested after being considered a escape threat
Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was convicted of planning a military coup in the ninth month and sentenced more than a 27-year term in jail, but he was staying under home detention pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" were revealed.
This encompassed attempting to break his ankle monitor and a invitation to a demonstration that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a paperwork permitting the arrest, the judge said intelligence from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest 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 chaos caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His offspring, his son Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a gathering of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on online platforms on Friday: Will you battle for your country, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I urge you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the chance of the former president's "relocation to embassies near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a history of planning to request asylum through a consular facility", a statement said.
The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the United States embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative American leader Donald Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being detained in a national police facility in the capital and will experience a detention review on the next day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also petitioned that he be allowed to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
He was found guilty of leading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the 2022 election to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plan which involved plans to assassinate the current president and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was stopped because it failed to get the support of the military leaders. Lula was took office without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, numerous his followers invaded and destroyed official structures in the national capital, the capital city.
The police intervened and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The justices found that the protesters had been provoked by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the moment, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 presidential election.