Jair Bolsonaro taken into custody after being considered a escape threat
Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.
The one-time leader was found guilty of orchestrating a military coup in the ninth month and sentenced more than over two decades in prison, but he was staying under home detention pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after recent developments emerged.
This involved attempting to break his tracking device and a summons to a demonstration that could "allow for a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a document approving the arrest, the judge said information from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the tracking monitor to ensure success in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the protest called by his son.
His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a legislator, called for a assembly of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.
His son wrote on social media on Friday: Will you battle for your nation, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I urge you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's determination was the possibility of his transfer to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a history of organizing to request asylum through a consular facility", a statement said.
The legal document underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist US President Trump, leading him to enact a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being kept in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a custody hearing on the next day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that he be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he needed frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was found guilty of orchestrating a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the 2022 election to his political opponent, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plan which encompassed plans to kill the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it didn't receive the backing of the military leaders. His successor was inaugurated without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, numerous his followers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the national capital, the capital city.
The law enforcement took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, restore order and return him to office.
At the period, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 national vote.