Bolsonaro taken into custody after being declared a escape threat
Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The former head of state was convicted of planning a government overthrow in September and given more than over two decades in prison, but he was staying under confinement pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after recent developments were revealed.
This encompassed trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the custody, the judge said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his son.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a legislator, called for a gathering of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on social media on the previous day: Will you battle for your homeland, or observe everything from your phone there on your couch? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our country."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the possibility of Bolsonaro's transfer to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of arranging to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The court filing underscores that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist United States President Trump, leading him to impose a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being detained in a Federal Police station in the capital and will experience a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be permitted to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he needed ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was convicted of orchestrating a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the national vote to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plot which encompassed plans to murder Lula and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was stopped because it didn't receive the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. His successor was sworn in without issue on the first day of 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, thousands of his backers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the capital, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The justices found that the rioters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to take action, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the period, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from running for public office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The former president called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.