The former Brazilian president detained after being declared a risk of fleeing
The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The ex-president was found guilty of orchestrating a government overthrow in the ninth month and handed more than 27 years in prison, but he was staying under house arrest pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the move to detain the elderly politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" emerged.
This involved seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a public vigil that could facilitate a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a document approving the custody, the judge said information from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his son.
His son, Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on digital networks on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or observe everything from your phone there on your couch? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could "pray for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the chance of his "relocation to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of organizing to ask for protection through a consular facility", a statement said.
The legal document highlights that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist American leader Donald Trump, causing him to enact a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will have a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other ailments.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was determined responsible of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a plot which included plans to kill his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was stopped because it didn't receive the support of the military leaders. The current president was inaugurated without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, thousands of his followers attacked and damaged government buildings in the capital, the capital city.
The law enforcement stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been incited by him whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, reestablish control and bring him back to power.
At the time, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 national vote.