Jair Bolsonaro taken into custody after being deemed a escape threat
Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The ex-president was sentenced of planning a armed takeover in September and handed more than 27 years in prison, but he continued under confinement pending court reviews.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a precautionary step after fresh information were revealed.
This involved seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a invitation to a demonstration that could enable a possible escape.
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a paperwork permitting the arrest, the judge said information from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's aim to disable the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the protest called by his child.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Will you battle for your nation, or see it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could "pray for his health and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the chance of his move to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a record of organizing to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is located around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
Global Responses
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative United States President Donald Trump, prompting him to enact a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will have a detention review on the next day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that he be authorized to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was convicted of leading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a scheme which involved plans to assassinate his opponent and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was stopped because it couldn't obtain the support of the armed forces officials. The current president was took office without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on January 8th, many his followers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by him whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, the legal team called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.
The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 national vote.