Jair Bolsonaro detained after being declared a escape threat
Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was found guilty of orchestrating a government overthrow in the ninth month and sentenced more than 27 years in incarceration, but he remained under house arrest pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after recent developments came to light.
This included seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a public vigil that could facilitate a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a document approving the custody, the magistrate said data from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his son.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a senator, called for a meeting of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your sofa? I invite you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the magistrate's ruling was the possibility of his transfer to embassies near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of organizing to ask for protection through a embassy office", a statement said.
The court filing underscores that the US embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative American leader Donald Trump, causing him to impose a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being held 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 former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that the former president be allowed to leave his home for healthcare, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was found guilty of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plan which included plans to murder the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was prevented because it couldn't obtain the backing of the army and air force commanders. Lula was took office without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised official structures in the capital, the capital city.
The law enforcement intervened and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The judges found that the rioters had been incited by him whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to step in, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him competing in the next presidential race.