Jair Bolsonaro taken into custody after being declared a flight risk
Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was sentenced of plotting a military coup in the ninth month and sentenced more than over two decades in incarceration, but he remained under home detention pending appeals.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after fresh information were revealed.
This included attempting to break his tracking device and a invitation to a demonstration that could enable a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the custody, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the protest called by his child.
His offspring, Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on online platforms on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or watch it all from your phone there on your settee? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could offer prayers for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the chance of his transfer to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a record of organizing to seek refuge through a embassy office", a statement said.
The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist American leader President Trump, leading him to implement a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
The former president is being detained in a Federal Police station in the capital and will undergo a detention review on the next day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be permitted to leave his home for medical care, saying he required regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
The former president was determined responsible of heading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the presidential race to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plan which included plans to murder the current president and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been presiding over the former president's case.
The conspiracy was prevented because it failed to get the backing of the army and air force commanders. Lula was took office without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed government buildings in the federal district, Brasília.
The law enforcement intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The judges found that the protesters had been incited by him whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also banned from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The former president called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 presidential election.