The former Brazilian president arrested after being considered a escape threat
The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.
The ex-president was sentenced of plotting a military coup in September and sentenced more than over two decades in jail, but he remained under confinement pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the move to detain the elderly politician was a precautionary step after fresh information were revealed.
This encompassed attempting to break his ankle monitor and a summons to a public vigil that could facilitate a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a paperwork permitting the arrest, the judge said information from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's aim to disable the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His son, his son Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a gathering of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
The senator wrote on social media on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so supporters could "pray for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's ruling was the chance of his transfer to foreign missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a record of organizing to request asylum through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The court filing highlights that the US embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is located around 8 miles from his dwelling.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist American leader Donald Trump, leading him to enact a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will undergo a detention review on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be authorized to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he needed frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
The former president was convicted of heading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a scheme which involved plans to kill the current president and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was thwarted because it didn't receive the endorsement of the military leaders. His successor was took office without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, thousands of his followers invaded and destroyed official structures in the national capital, the capital city.
The law enforcement intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The judges found that the rioters had been encouraged by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, restore order and return him to office.
At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 presidential election.