The former Brazilian president detained after being declared a escape threat
The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The ex-president was found guilty of planning a armed takeover in the ninth month and given more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he continued under house arrest pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after "new facts" were revealed.
This included attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a call for a public vigil that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the custody, the magistrate said information from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the protest called by his child.
His child, his son Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a assembly of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could "pray for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the magistrate's determination was the possibility of Bolsonaro's transfer to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a background of planning to request asylum through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is located around 13km from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist US President President Trump, causing him to enact a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will have a custody hearing on Sunday.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that the former president be authorized to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he required frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was determined responsible of leading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a scheme which involved plans to kill Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over the former president's case.
The conspiracy was prevented because it didn't receive the endorsement of the military leaders. The current president was took office without problem on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on the eighth of January, many his backers attacked and damaged government buildings in the federal district, Brasília.
The law enforcement stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The judges found that the rioters had been incited by him whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The former president called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the next presidential race.