Bolsonaro detained after being deemed a escape threat
The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The ex-president was convicted of orchestrating a military coup in last fall and sentenced more than a 27-year term in jail, but he continued under house arrest pending appeals.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after fresh information were revealed.
This encompassed seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a filing authorising the detention, Justice Moraes said data from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the former leader's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.
His offspring, Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a gathering of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or observe everything from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's ruling was the chance of Bolsonaro's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of planning to request asylum through a consular facility", a statement said.
The legal document highlights that the US embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is located around 8 miles from his dwelling.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative US President Trump, causing him to impose a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will experience a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be permitted to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was determined responsible of heading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the national vote to his political opponent, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plan which included plans to assassinate his opponent and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing the former president's case.
The plot was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. The current president was sworn in without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on January 8th, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised official structures in the capital, BrasĂlia.
The security forces took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.
The judges found that the demonstrators had been incited by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to take action, restore order and return him to office.
At the time, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also barred from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The ex-leader called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 national vote.