Jair Bolsonaro taken into custody after being considered a flight risk
The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was convicted of plotting a military coup in last fall and given more than over two decades in incarceration, but he continued under house arrest pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after "new facts" were revealed.
This included attempting to break his ankle monitor and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said information from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his child.
His child, Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the possibility of the former president's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a background of arranging to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The court filing underscores that the United States embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist United States President Donald Trump, causing him to implement a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will experience a detention review on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be authorized to leave his home for healthcare, saying he required regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was found guilty of orchestrating a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the national vote to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a scheme which involved plans to assassinate his opponent and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was prevented because it failed to get the support of the military leaders. The current president was took office without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on January 8th, many Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged public facilities in the capital, Brazil's capital.
The security forces took action and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.
The justices found that the protesters had been encouraged by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the moment, the legal team called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The former president called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 presidential election.
