Bolsonaro arrested after being considered a escape threat
The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.
The former head of state was found guilty of planning a government overthrow in September and given more than over two decades in incarceration, but he remained under home detention pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after fresh information came to light.
This included attempting to break his ankle monitor and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could enable a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Escape Risks
In a paperwork permitting the arrest, the judge said information from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the former leader's plan to remove the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
The senator wrote on social media on last Friday: Will you battle for your country, or see it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I call on you to struggle with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could offer prayers for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the magistrate's determination was the potential of his "relocation to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a background of planning to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The court filing highlights that the US embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.
Global Responses
His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist American leader Donald Trump, prompting him to impose a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.
The former president is being kept 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 Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also petitioned that the former president be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he demanded regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
The former president was determined responsible of heading a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he knew of a plot which involved plans to murder Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.
The plot was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the support of the armed forces officials. His successor was took office without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, many his backers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the federal district, Brasília.
The law enforcement took action and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the period, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from running for public office until 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 national vote.