Jair Bolsonaro taken into custody after being declared a flight risk
Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The ex-president was found guilty of plotting a government overthrow in September and given more than over two decades in prison, but he continued under home detention pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after fresh information were revealed.
This encompassed seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a summons to a public vigil that could enable a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a document approving the arrest, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's plan to remove the tracking monitor to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His offspring, Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on online platforms on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or watch it all from your phone there on your couch? I invite you to battle 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 judge's decision was the potential of the former president's move to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a background of planning to seek refuge through a consular facility", a statement said.
The judicial paperwork highlights that the US embassy in the capital, the capital city, is located around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist American leader Trump, leading him to impose a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a national police facility in the capital and will undergo a custody hearing on the following day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also petitioned that he be authorized to leave his home for medical care, saying he needed ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was determined responsible of orchestrating a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the 2022 election to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plan which included plans to assassinate Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The plot was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. Lula was sworn in without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, thousands of his backers attacked and damaged government buildings in the capital, the capital city.
The security forces stepped in and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.
The judges found that the protesters had been encouraged by him whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him running in the next presidential race.