Bolsonaro detained after being considered a flight risk
Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.
The former head of state was convicted of plotting a military coup in September and given more than over two decades in incarceration, but he continued under home detention pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a safety action after recent developments emerged.
This included trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a paperwork permitting the detention, Justice Moraes said information from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his son.
His child, his son Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Will you battle for your nation, or see it all from your phone there on your couch? I invite you to fight with us."
He said the demonstration would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the possibility of the former president's transfer to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a record of arranging to seek refuge through a embassy office", a statement said.
The judicial paperwork highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brasilia, is situated around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative US President Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being detained in a national police facility in the capital and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be permitted to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he needed ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
The former president was found guilty of heading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plan which encompassed plans to kill the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over the former president's case.
The scheme was prevented because it didn't receive the support of the armed forces officials. His successor was sworn in without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, numerous Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised government buildings in the federal district, the capital city.
The law enforcement stepped in and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.
The judges found that the protesters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also banned from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 presidential election.
