Jair Bolsonaro arrested after being deemed a flight risk
Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was found guilty of plotting a armed takeover in last fall and given more than over two decades in prison, but he continued under confinement pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after "new facts" emerged.
This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a public vigil that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the custody, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's aim to disable the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His son, his son Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a meeting of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
His son wrote on social media on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the magistrate's ruling was the potential of the former president's "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a background of planning to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the US embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist US President President Trump, causing him to impose a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will undergo a detention review on the following day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that he be permitted to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was found guilty of orchestrating a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the 2022 election to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plan which involved plans to assassinate the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was prevented because it couldn't obtain the backing of the military leaders. His successor was took office without problem on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, numerous his followers attacked and damaged public facilities in the capital, the capital city.
The police intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been incited by him whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 national vote.