Jair Bolsonaro detained after being deemed a flight risk
Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.
The ex-president was found guilty of orchestrating a military coup in last fall and given more than 27 years in prison, but he remained under confinement pending court reviews.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a preventative measure after fresh information emerged.
This included trying to remove his tracking device and a call for a demonstration that could facilitate a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a paperwork permitting the custody, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's aim to disable the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his son.
His child, his son Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a gathering of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or watch it all from your phone there on your settee? I urge you to battle with us."
He said the demonstration would be so followers could offer prayers for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the judge's determination was the potential of the former president's "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of planning to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The judicial paperwork underscores that the US embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative United States President Trump, causing him to enact a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being detained in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be authorized to leave his home for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was determined responsible of leading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the presidential race to his political opponent, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plan which included plans to murder his opponent and his running partner, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was stopped because it couldn't obtain the backing of the armed forces officials. His successor was inaugurated without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, thousands of his backers attacked and damaged official structures in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The police took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.
The justices found that the protesters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The former president called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 presidential election.