The former Brazilian president arrested after being considered a escape threat
Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.
The former head of state was sentenced of orchestrating a military coup in last fall and handed more than over two decades in prison, but he remained under confinement pending appeals.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" came to light.
This included trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a call for a public vigil that could facilitate a possible escape.
Court Filing Details Escape Risks
In a document approving the arrest, the magistrate said data from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the tracking monitor to ensure success in his getaway".
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.
His offspring, Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a assembly of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
His son wrote on digital networks on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I invite you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's ruling was the potential of the former president's "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a background of organizing to request asylum through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The legal document underscores that the United States embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist American leader Donald Trump, causing him to implement a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being held in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will have a detention review on the next day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with tracking devices.
They also asked that the former president be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he needed ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
He was found guilty of heading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the presidential race to his political opponent, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plan which involved plans to murder his opponent and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing the former president's case.
The conspiracy was stopped because it didn't receive the support of the army and air force commanders. Lula was sworn in without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, numerous his followers attacked and damaged official structures in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The security forces intervened and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The justices found that the protesters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from running for public office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 presidential election.