Bolsonaro detained after being declared a flight risk
Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The ex-president was convicted of planning a government overthrow in September and sentenced more than 27 years in jail, but he remained under confinement pending appeals.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a safety action after fresh information were revealed.
This encompassed seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a summons to a public vigil that could facilitate a possible escape.
Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks
In a paperwork permitting the detention, the magistrate said information from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.
His offspring, his son Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a meeting of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.
His son wrote on online platforms on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or observe everything from your phone there on your settee? I urge you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could "pray for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the potential of Bolsonaro's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of planning to ask for protection through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The legal document underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, the capital city, is located around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist US President Trump, causing him to implement a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being detained in a national police facility in the capital and will experience a detention review on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also asked that the former president be authorized to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was determined responsible of leading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the 2022 election to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he knew of a plan which encompassed plans to murder his opponent and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over the former president's case.
The conspiracy was stopped because it didn't receive the support of the military leaders. Lula was took office without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, numerous Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed official structures in the capital, BrasĂlia.
The security forces took action and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The judges found that the protesters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the time, the legal team called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 presidential election.