The former Brazilian president taken into custody after being deemed a risk of fleeing
The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The former head of state was sentenced of plotting a military coup in September and sentenced more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he remained under house arrest pending appeals.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after "new facts" emerged.
This involved seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a invitation to a public vigil that could enable a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the detention, the magistrate said information from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's aim to disable the tracking monitor to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his offspring.
His child, his son Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a assembly of his backers near Bolsonaro's home 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 see it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I invite you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could offer prayers for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's decision was the potential of his transfer to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a history of planning to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The judicial paperwork highlights that the US embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is situated around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
Global Responses
His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist American leader Donald Trump, causing him to enact a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will experience a detention review on the next day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the High Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that he be allowed to leave his home for healthcare, saying he needed frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was determined responsible of heading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the presidential race to his political opponent, Lula.
High Court judges said that he knew of a scheme which included plans to murder the current president and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it didn't receive the endorsement of the armed forces officials. His successor was sworn in without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, thousands of his followers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the national capital, the capital city.
The security forces stepped in and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The justices found that the rioters had been incited by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the court case a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 national vote.