The former Brazilian president detained after being deemed a risk of fleeing
Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was convicted of planning a military coup in last fall and sentenced more than over two decades in prison, but he remained under home detention pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a preventative measure after fresh information were revealed.
This involved trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a call for a public vigil that could facilitate a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the arrest, the judge said information from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a legislator, called for a gathering of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on social media on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your settee? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the possibility of the former president's transfer to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of planning to seek refuge through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The judicial paperwork highlights that the US embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is positioned around 8 miles from his dwelling.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist American leader President Trump, prompting him to enact a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that the former president be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he required ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
He was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the presidential race to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plot which involved plans to assassinate Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the backing of the military leaders. Lula was inaugurated without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, many his backers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the federal district, the capital city.
The law enforcement stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.
The judges found that the protesters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the period, the legal team called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 presidential election.