Bolsonaro taken into custody after being declared a flight risk
Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was convicted of orchestrating a government overthrow in last fall and sentenced more than 27 years in jail, but he remained under home detention pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after recent developments came to light.
This involved trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a demonstration that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a document approving the arrest, the magistrate said information from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his son.
His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a legislator, called for a assembly of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your settee? I invite you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the chance of Bolsonaro's "relocation to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a background of organizing to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The court filing emphasizes that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is situated around 13km from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist United States President President Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
Bolsonaro is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will have a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be permitted to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he demanded ongoing care for lung conditions and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was determined responsible of heading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a scheme which included plans to kill Lula and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was prevented because it failed to get the endorsement of the armed forces officials. The current president was took office without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, thousands of his followers invaded and destroyed official structures in the capital, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been incited by him whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 presidential election.
