Bolsonaro arrested after being considered a escape threat
The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The one-time leader was sentenced of planning a military coup in the ninth month and given more than 27 years in incarceration, but he was staying under home detention pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after recent developments were revealed.
This involved attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could enable a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a document approving the detention, the judge said intelligence from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the former leader's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his son.
His child, his son Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a meeting of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's determination was the potential of the former president's move to embassies near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of organizing to request asylum through a consular facility", a declaration said.
The court filing emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brasilia, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist US President Trump, causing him to enact a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will have a custody hearing on the next day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also requested that Bolsonaro be permitted to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he needed ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
The former president was convicted of orchestrating a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a scheme which involved plans to kill Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The plot was stopped 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 following week, on January 8th, thousands of his backers attacked and damaged government buildings in the national capital, Brasília.
The security forces took action and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been incited by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to step in, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the time, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from running for public office until 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the trial a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 national vote.