The former Brazilian president detained after being considered a escape threat
Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was found guilty of planning a armed takeover in the ninth month and given more than over two decades in prison, but he remained under home detention pending appeals.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after fresh information emerged.
This involved trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a demonstration that could enable a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a document approving the custody, the magistrate said information from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.
His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on social media on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or see it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I invite you to struggle with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's ruling was the possibility of the former president's "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of planning to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The legal document highlights that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is situated around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative United States President Donald Trump, prompting him to impose a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being held in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will experience a imprisonment assessment on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that the former president be permitted to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he needed regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
The former president was convicted of leading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a plot which included plans to assassinate Lula and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - 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 armed forces officials. His successor was took office without problem on January 1st, 2023.
But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed public facilities in the federal district, Brasília.
The law enforcement intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The judges found that the rioters had been provoked by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the period, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The former president called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the next presidential race.
