The former Brazilian president arrested after being considered a flight risk
Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was sentenced of plotting a government overthrow in the ninth month and given more than over two decades in prison, but he continued under house arrest pending court reviews.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after recent developments came to light.
This included attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a call for a supporters' gathering that could enable a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's plan to remove the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the protest called by his child.
His offspring, Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Will you battle for your country, or see it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's determination was the potential of his "relocation to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of organizing to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The legal document highlights that the US embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative US President Trump, leading him to implement a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a detention review on the next day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also asked that he be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he required frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
The former president was found guilty of heading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the national vote to his political opponent, Lula.
High Court judges said that he knew of a scheme which included plans to assassinate the current president and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over the former president's case.
The scheme was stopped because it couldn't obtain the backing of the armed forces officials. Lula was took office without incident on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, many Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised public facilities in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The security forces intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been incited by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the period, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also prohibited from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The former president called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 presidential election.