Jair Bolsonaro taken into custody after being declared a flight risk
The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was convicted of plotting a armed takeover in last fall and handed more than 27 years in incarceration, but he continued under home detention pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after recent developments emerged.
This involved trying to remove his tracking device and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the detention, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.
His offspring, his son Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a assembly of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on digital networks on Friday: Will you battle for your nation, or watch it all from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could "pray for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's ruling was the chance of his "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a history of organizing to seek refuge through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist US President Trump, causing him to enact a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being detained in a national police facility in the capital and will have a custody hearing on the following day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be authorized to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he demanded regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
The former president was convicted of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the presidential race to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a plan which involved plans to assassinate Lula and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the armed forces officials. His successor was sworn in without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, many Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised public facilities in the federal district, BrasĂlia.
The security forces intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been incited by him whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to take action, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also prohibited from running for public office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him competing in the next presidential race.