Bolsonaro arrested after being considered a flight risk
Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The former head of state was found guilty of orchestrating a government overthrow in the ninth month and handed more than a 27-year term in prison, but he was staying under confinement pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a safety action after recent developments were revealed.
This encompassed attempting to break his tracking device and a invitation to a demonstration that could enable a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a document approving the detention, Justice Moraes said data from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the surveillance device to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the protest called by his son.
His son, Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a assembly of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could "pray for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's decision was the possibility of Bolsonaro's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a history of organizing to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is located around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
Global Responses
His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist United States President Trump, causing him to impose a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being kept in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will experience a custody hearing on the next day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be permitted to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he required regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
He was determined responsible of leading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plot which involved plans to kill Lula and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the military leaders. His successor was sworn in without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, thousands of his backers invaded and destroyed official structures in the capital, Brasília.
The security forces took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.
The magistrates found that the protesters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the time, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.
