Jair Bolsonaro arrested after being deemed a risk of fleeing
Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was convicted of planning a government overthrow in last fall and sentenced more than a 27-year term in jail, but he remained under home detention pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" emerged.
This included trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a document approving the detention, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his child.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Will you battle for your country, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your sofa? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the potential of the former president's "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a background of planning to request asylum through a consular facility", a declaration said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is located around 13km from his dwelling.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist United States President Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a national police facility in Brasilia and will have a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that he be authorized to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was determined responsible of heading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the national vote to his ideological adversary, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plan which encompassed plans to kill Lula and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The plot was prevented because it failed to get the backing of the army and air force commanders. The current president was took office without problem on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, thousands of his backers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the federal district, the capital city.
The security forces stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The judges found that the rioters had been provoked by him whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to take action, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the trial a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the next presidential race.