Jair Bolsonaro detained after being deemed a escape threat
The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The former head of state was sentenced of planning a government overthrow in September and sentenced more than 27 years in jail, but he was staying under house arrest pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after recent developments were revealed.
This included seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a demonstration that could facilitate a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a paperwork permitting the detention, the magistrate said information from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his escape.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His offspring, his son Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a gathering of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Will you battle for your country, or see it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the potential of his "relocation to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a background of planning to seek refuge through a consular facility", a statement said.
The court filing highlights that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 8 miles from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist United States President Trump, prompting him to enact a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will undergo a custody hearing on the next day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that he be authorized to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he required ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
The former president was convicted of leading a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the 2022 election to his political opponent, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plot which encompassed plans to assassinate Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The scheme was prevented because it didn't receive the backing of the army and air force commanders. His successor was inaugurated without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged government buildings in the federal district, Brasília.
The security forces stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The judges found that the protesters had been encouraged by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The former president called the trial a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 national vote.