Jair Bolsonaro detained after being deemed a risk of fleeing

Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.

The former head of state was convicted of planning a government overthrow in September and given more than 27 years in jail, but he remained under home detention pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after recent developments were revealed.

This involved seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could enable a possible escape.

Judicial Records Show Escape Risks

In a paperwork permitting the arrest, the judge said intelligence from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.

His offspring, Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a gathering of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.

The senator wrote on online platforms on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I call on you to struggle with us."

He said the vigil would be so backers could offer prayers for his health and for the return of democracy in our land."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the possibility of Bolsonaro's move to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of planning to request asylum through a embassy office", a announcement said.

The court filing emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 8 miles from his dwelling.

Global Responses

The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist United States President Trump, leading him to implement a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.

The former president is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a custody hearing on the following day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be permitted to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he demanded ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

He was convicted of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plan which included plans to kill his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been managing his judicial proceedings.

The scheme was stopped because it failed to get the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. His successor was sworn in without problem on the first day of 2023.

But a week later, on the eighth of January, thousands of his followers attacked and damaged government buildings in the federal district, the capital city.

The police stepped in and around 1,500 people were detained.

The judges found that the demonstrators had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, bring back stability and return him to office.

At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The former president called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.