The former Brazilian president arrested after being deemed a flight risk
Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.
The former head of state was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in September and sentenced more than over two decades in incarceration, but he was staying under confinement pending court reviews.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" emerged.
This included attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could enable a potential flight.
Court Filing Details Escape Concerns
In a filing authorising the arrest, Justice Moraes said information from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His child, Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a assembly of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on social media on the previous day: Will you battle for your homeland, or see it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the vigil would be so backers could "pray for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the magistrate's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's "relocation to foreign missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of planning to request asylum through a embassy office", a declaration said.
The court filing underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, the capital city, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist US President Trump, causing him to impose a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with digital surveillance.
They also petitioned that the former president be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he needed regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
He was convicted of leading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the national vote to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a scheme which included plans to assassinate Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was thwarted because it didn't receive the endorsement of the military leaders. Lula was inaugurated without incident on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, thousands of his backers attacked and damaged government buildings in the national capital, Brazil's capital.
The police stepped in and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.
The justices found that the rioters had been provoked by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, restore order and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 national vote.