Bolsonaro detained after being deemed a risk of fleeing
Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was convicted of plotting a military coup in September and given more than 27 years in incarceration, but he was staying under confinement pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after recent developments came to light.
This included attempting to break his ankle monitor and a invitation to a demonstration that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the arrest, the judge said information from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the protest called by his son.
His child, his son Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a assembly of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I invite you to fight with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could "pray for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's decision was the potential of his "relocation to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a record of arranging to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The legal document underscores that the United States embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is located around 13km from his dwelling.
Global Responses
His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist United States President Donald Trump, causing him to impose a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will experience a custody hearing on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the High Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that the former president be permitted to leave his home for medical care, saying he needed frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
The former president was found guilty of orchestrating a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plan which included plans to kill his opponent and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The scheme was prevented because it failed to get the support of the armed forces officials. The current president was inaugurated without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on January 8th, numerous his followers attacked and damaged public facilities in the capital, Brazil's capital.
The police stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.
The judges found that the rioters had been provoked by him whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the period, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The one-time head of state called the court case a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 national vote.