The former Brazilian president arrested after being declared a risk of fleeing
The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.
The former head of state was sentenced of orchestrating a armed takeover in last fall and sentenced more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he continued under house arrest pending legal challenges.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after recent developments emerged.
This involved seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a summons to a public vigil that could enable a chance to flee".
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said information from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the tracking monitor to ensure success in his escape.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His offspring, Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a meeting of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.
His son wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Will you battle for your country, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I urge you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so supporters could "pray 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 possibility of Bolsonaro's "relocation to foreign missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a background of arranging to seek refuge through a embassy office", a announcement said.
The legal document emphasizes that the US embassy in the capital, the capital city, is situated around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist American leader President Trump, causing him to implement a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being held in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also requested that he be authorized to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he demanded regular treatment for lung conditions and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was found guilty of heading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Lula.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plan which encompassed plans to kill the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing the former president's case.
The conspiracy was stopped because it didn't receive the support of the armed forces officials. His successor was sworn in without incident on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, many his backers invaded and destroyed official structures in the capital, the capital city.
The law enforcement intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The justices found that the rioters had been incited by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, restore order and bring him back to power.
At the period, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 national vote.