Bolsonaro taken into custody after being deemed a escape threat
The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The ex-president was convicted of plotting a military coup in last fall and handed more than over two decades in incarceration, but he was staying under home detention pending legal challenges.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after "new facts" were revealed.
This involved attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a public vigil that could "allow for a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a paperwork permitting the arrest, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his getaway".
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his offspring.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his backers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on social media on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your couch? I call on you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the magistrate's determination was the chance of his "relocation to foreign missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a background of organizing to ask for protection through a consular facility", a declaration said.
The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the United States embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 13km from his dwelling.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist US President Donald Trump, leading him to enact a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
He is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will experience a custody hearing on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also asked that the former president be authorized to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he demanded regular treatment for lung conditions and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
He was found guilty of heading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the presidential race to his political opponent, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plan which encompassed plans to kill his opponent 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 prevented because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. The current president was took office without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, many Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised government buildings in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The police stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from campaigning for office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The former president called the court case a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 national vote.