The former Brazilian president taken into custody after being deemed a flight risk
The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The former head of state was convicted of planning a government overthrow in last fall and given more than over two decades in incarceration, but he continued under confinement pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the move to detain the elderly politician was a safety action after "new facts" came to light.
This included trying to remove his ankle monitor and a summons to a demonstration that could "allow for a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said intelligence from the facility tracking the former president's confinement 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, Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Will you battle for your nation, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I invite you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our land."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's determination was the chance of the former president's "relocation to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a background of arranging to seek refuge through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative United States President Trump, causing him to enact a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
Bolsonaro is being held in a national police facility in the capital and will undergo a custody hearing on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Top Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.
They also requested that he be permitted to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he demanded ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
He was convicted of leading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a scheme which encompassed plans to murder the current president and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The plot was stopped because it failed to get the support of the army and air force commanders. The current president was sworn in without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a seven days after, on January 8th, many his backers attacked and damaged public facilities in the capital, Brazil's capital.
The law enforcement intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The justices found that the protesters had been encouraged by him whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The former president called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the next presidential race.