Jair Bolsonaro detained after being declared a escape threat
The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was convicted of planning a military coup in September and sentenced more than over two decades in incarceration, but he was staying under confinement pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after recent developments came to light.
This involved seeking to disable his tracking device and a summons to a public vigil that could facilitate a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a document approving the arrest, the magistrate said intelligence from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a legislator, called for a gathering of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.
His son wrote on social media on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or see it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our land."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's decision was the chance of his transfer to embassies near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a background of planning to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The legal document underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, the capital city, is located around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist United States President Donald Trump, causing him to implement a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being detained in a national police facility in Brasilia and will experience a custody hearing on the following day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also asked that the former president be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he required ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was found guilty of orchestrating a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plan which involved plans to kill Lula and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the backing of the army and air force commanders. The current president was sworn in without problem on January 1st, 2023.
But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, numerous his backers attacked and damaged public facilities in the federal district, Brasília.
The law enforcement took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, restore order and return him to office.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also banned from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the next presidential race.