Jair Bolsonaro taken into custody after being deemed a escape threat
The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was sentenced of orchestrating a government overthrow in September and sentenced more than 27 years in incarceration, but he remained under house arrest pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the move to detain the elderly politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" were revealed.
This included attempting to break his tracking device and a call for a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a document approving the custody, the magistrate said information from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the protest called by his offspring.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a senator, called for a meeting of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.
His son wrote on social media on Friday: Will you battle for your country, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I invite you to fight with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could "pray for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's determination was the possibility of his move to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a history of arranging to seek refuge through a consular facility", a statement said.
The legal document highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist US President President Trump, leading him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
Bolsonaro is being held in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will have a custody hearing on the next day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that he be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he needed ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was found guilty of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his political opponent, President Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plot which included plans to murder the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing his judicial proceedings.
The plot was prevented because it failed to get the support of the army and air force commanders. His successor was sworn in without problem on January 1st, 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged official structures in the federal district, Brasília.
The security forces stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been incited by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the moment, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The former president called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 national vote.