Jair Bolsonaro detained after being considered a flight risk
Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was convicted of orchestrating a military coup in September and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he remained under confinement pending court reviews.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a safety action after recent developments were revealed.
This encompassed seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a summons to a public vigil that could enable a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a document approving the arrest, Justice Moraes said information from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the protest called by his offspring.
His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a senator, called for a gathering of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I urge you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could "pray for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the possibility of Bolsonaro's transfer to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a history of organizing to ask for protection through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the United States embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is located around 13km from his dwelling.
Global Responses
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist United States President Trump, prompting him to impose a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be allowed to leave his home for medical care, saying he needed regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
The former president was determined responsible of leading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plan which encompassed plans to kill the current president and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the support of the armed forces officials. His successor was sworn in without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged government buildings in the federal district, the capital city.
The law enforcement stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been incited by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, reestablish control and bring him back to power.
At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from running for public office until 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The one-time head of state called the trial a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him participating in the next presidential race.