The former Brazilian president arrested after being declared a flight risk
The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was found guilty of orchestrating a government overthrow in last fall and sentenced more than over two decades in jail, but he remained under house arrest pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after recent developments came to light.
This included trying to remove his ankle monitor and a summons to a demonstration that could "allow for a possible escape.
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a paperwork permitting the detention, the magistrate said data from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the former leader's aim to disable the tracking monitor 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, his son Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or see it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so backers could "pray for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the magistrate's determination was the potential of his "relocation to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of arranging to seek refuge through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The legal document emphasizes that the US embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative US President Trump, leading him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be permitted to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he demanded ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was convicted of heading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Lula.
High Court judges said that he knew of a plot which involved plans to assassinate the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing the former president's case.
The conspiracy was stopped because it didn't receive the support of the armed forces officials. His successor was took office without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, numerous his followers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the federal district, Brasília.
The police stepped in and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.
The judges found that the protesters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, reestablish control and bring him back to power.
At the moment, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him competing in the next presidential race.