Jair Bolsonaro detained after being deemed a flight risk
The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The ex-president was sentenced of orchestrating a armed takeover in last fall and handed more than 27 years in jail, but he was staying under confinement pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after "new facts" came to light.
This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a summons to a demonstration that could enable a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a paperwork permitting the detention, the magistrate said information from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's plan to remove the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his son.
His son, his son Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your couch? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's decision was the chance of Bolsonaro's transfer to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a background of organizing to request asylum through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The legal document highlights that the US embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is situated around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist United States President Donald Trump, leading him to implement a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a detention review on the next day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Top Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be allowed to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
Bolsonaro was determined responsible of orchestrating a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a scheme which involved plans to kill the current president and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was prevented because it failed to get the backing of the military leaders. His successor was inaugurated without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on the eighth of January, thousands of his followers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The security forces took action and around 1,500 people were detained.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been incited by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to take action, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from running for public office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The former president called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 presidential election.