Bolsonaro taken into custody after being considered a risk of fleeing
The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The former head of state was found guilty of planning a military coup in the ninth month and handed more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he continued under house arrest pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after fresh information came to light.
This included seeking to disable his tracking device and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a document approving the arrest, the judge said data from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his escape.
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the protest called by his offspring.
His son, Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a gathering of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on digital networks on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or observe everything from your phone there on your settee? I urge you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's ruling was the chance of the former president's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a record of arranging to request asylum through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The legal document highlights that the US embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative United States President Donald Trump, leading him to enact a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being held in a national police facility in Brasilia and will have a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Top Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be permitted to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he needed regular treatment for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
He was determined responsible of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plan which encompassed plans to kill his opponent and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over the former president's case.
The conspiracy was prevented because it failed to get the support of the army and air force commanders. His successor was took office without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on 8 January, thousands of his followers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the national capital, BrasĂlia.
The police stepped in and around 1,500 people were detained.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the period, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The former president called the trial a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him participating in the next presidential race.
