The former Brazilian president detained after being deemed a flight risk
The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was convicted of planning a government overthrow in the ninth month and given more than over two decades in jail, but he was staying under house arrest pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a precautionary step after fresh information were revealed.
This included attempting to break his tracking device and a call for a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a paperwork permitting the arrest, the magistrate said data from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his child.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a legislator, called for a assembly of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or watch it all from your phone there on your sofa? 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 nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the magistrate's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's transfer to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a record of planning to request asylum through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The legal document emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is located around 13km from his dwelling.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist US President Trump, leading him to impose a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being held in a Federal Police station in the capital and will experience a custody hearing on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also asked that the former president be authorized to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he needed regular treatment for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was convicted of leading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plot which included plans to assassinate the current president and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the backing of the armed forces officials. The current president was took office without problem on January 1st, 2023.
But a seven days after, on January 8th, many his backers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the national capital, Brasília.
The law enforcement stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The justices found that the protesters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to take action, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the moment, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 presidential election.