Bolsonaro arrested after being considered a flight risk
Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The ex-president was sentenced of planning a armed takeover in the ninth month and sentenced more than 27 years in jail, but he continued under home detention pending court reviews.
Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" emerged.
This encompassed seeking to disable his tracking device and a invitation to a demonstration that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a document approving the arrest, the magistrate said data from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's "intention to break the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your couch? I invite you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's ruling was the chance of Bolsonaro's move to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a background of organizing to seek refuge through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The court filing underscores that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 13km from his dwelling.
Global Responses
His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative United States President Donald Trump, leading him to enact a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
Bolsonaro is being held in a national police facility in Brasilia and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that the former president be allowed to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
He was determined responsible of leading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a plot which included plans to assassinate the current president and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was prevented because it failed to get the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. His successor was took office without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a seven days after, on January 8th, thousands of his backers attacked and damaged official structures in the capital, the capital city.
The law enforcement intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The judges 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 period, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The former president called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 national vote.