Jair Bolsonaro detained after being deemed a risk of fleeing

Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The former head of state was sentenced of plotting a government overthrow in last fall and handed more than 27 years in prison, but he was staying under house arrest pending legal challenges.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" came to light.

This encompassed attempting to break his tracking device and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a chance to flee".

Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the custody, the judge said data from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his getaway".

This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his offspring.

His child, Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a gathering of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your couch? I invite you to fight with us."

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could "pray for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the possibility of the former president's "relocation to embassies near the home, considering that the probes revealed a history of organizing to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.

The court filing underscores that the United States embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.

Worldwide Consequences

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative US President President Trump, prompting him to implement a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

The former president is being held in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will have a custody hearing on the following day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.

They also asked that the former president be allowed to depart his residence for medical care, saying he required frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Context of Sentencing

The former president was determined responsible of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the national vote to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plan which encompassed plans to assassinate Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The scheme was stopped because it didn't receive the support of the military leaders. Lula was took office without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a week later, on the eighth of January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed public facilities in the capital, the capital city.

The police stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.

The judges found that the protesters had been encouraged by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, bring back stability and bring him back to power.

At the time, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The former president called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him competing in the next presidential race.