The former Brazilian president taken into custody after being declared a risk of fleeing
The former Brazilian leader 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 government overthrow in September and sentenced more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he was staying under home detention pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after "new facts" came to light.
This involved seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a summons to a demonstration that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the custody, the judge said information from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his supporters near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or see it all from your phone there on your settee? I call on you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could offer prayers for his physical condition 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 diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a background of arranging to request asylum through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative United States President President Trump, prompting him to implement a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will undergo a detention review on the following day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that the former president be authorized to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he demanded ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
The former president was determined responsible of heading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the presidential race to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plan which encompassed plans to murder Lula and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The conspiracy was prevented because it failed to get the support of the army and air force commanders. His successor was sworn in without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, many Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised official structures in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement stepped in and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.
The judges found that the rioters had been provoked by him whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the period, the legal team called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the court case a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the next presidential race.