Jair Bolsonaro arrested after being deemed a risk of fleeing
Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The one-time leader was convicted of planning a armed takeover in last fall and sentenced more than over two decades in prison, but he was staying under confinement pending court reviews.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a preventative measure after fresh information were revealed.
This involved seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a call for a demonstration that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a document approving the arrest, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his son.
His son, Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I invite you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could "pray for his health and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's decision was the chance of the former president's transfer to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a background of organizing to ask for protection through a embassy office", a statement said.
The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist American leader Donald Trump, prompting him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being kept in a national police facility in the capital and will have a custody hearing on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on last Friday 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 asked that Bolsonaro be authorized to leave his home for medical care, saying he needed frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was found guilty of heading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the presidential race to his political opponent, Lula.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a plan which included plans to kill the current president and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing his judicial proceedings.
The plot was prevented because it failed to get the backing of the armed forces officials. His successor was inaugurated without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, many his backers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the federal district, Brasília.
The police stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from running for public office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 national vote.