Jair Bolsonaro arrested after being declared a risk of fleeing
The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.
The ex-president was convicted of orchestrating a government overthrow in last fall and handed more than 27 years in incarceration, but he was staying under home detention pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" came to light.
This encompassed seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a invitation to a public vigil that could facilitate a chance to flee".
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a document approving the detention, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's aim to disable the surveillance device to ensure success in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his child.
His offspring, Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a assembly of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Will you battle for your country, or watch it all from your phone there on your sofa? I invite you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's determination was the potential of the former president's move to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a background of organizing to ask for protection through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The court filing highlights that the US embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is positioned around 13km from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative American leader Donald Trump, leading him to enact a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.
He is being held in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will experience a custody hearing on the next day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that the former president be permitted to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he demanded regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other ailments.
Details of Guilty Verdict
Bolsonaro was found guilty of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plan which encompassed plans to murder Lula and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.
The scheme was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the support of the armed forces officials. His successor was inaugurated without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed public facilities in the national capital, the capital city.
The police took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.
The judges found that the protesters had been encouraged by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.
At the time, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him running in the next presidential race.