Bolsonaro arrested after being declared a risk of fleeing
Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was found guilty of plotting a government overthrow in September and given more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he was staying under house arrest pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after recent developments came to light.
This included attempting to break his ankle monitor and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a document approving the arrest, the magistrate said intelligence from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the tracking monitor to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his child.
His offspring, Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the potential of the former president's transfer to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of planning to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The court filing underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, the capital city, is situated around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist United States President Donald Trump, leading him to implement a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will have a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that the former president be permitted to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was convicted of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the national vote to his political opponent, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a scheme which involved plans to murder his opponent and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing his judicial proceedings.
The plot was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the backing of the armed forces officials. The current president was took office without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a seven days after, on January 8th, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged public facilities in the capital, the capital city.
The police stepped in and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been incited by him whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from running for public office until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the trial a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 national vote.