Bolsonaro arrested after being declared a escape threat

Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.

The ex-president was convicted of planning a military coup in last fall and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he remained under home detention pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a precautionary step after recent developments came to light.

This included attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a call for a demonstration that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns

In a paperwork permitting the arrest, the magistrate said information from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his flight.

This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his child.

His offspring, his son Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a meeting of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.

His son wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Will you battle for your country, or see it all from your phone there on your sofa? I invite you to struggle with us."

He said the gathering would be so backers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the judge's ruling was the chance of the former president's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a background of planning to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The judicial paperwork underscores that the US embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is located around 8 miles from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative American leader President Trump, prompting him to implement a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.

The former president is being kept in a Federal Police station in the capital and will experience a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.

They also requested that he be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he needed regular treatment for lung conditions and other health problems.

Details of Guilty Verdict

The former president was determined responsible of leading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the national vote to his ideological adversary, Lula.

High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plan which encompassed plans to kill his opponent and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The scheme was prevented because it failed to get the backing of the armed forces officials. Lula was sworn in without problem on 1 January 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, thousands of his backers attacked and damaged official structures in the national capital, Brazil's capital.

The security forces stepped in and around 1,500 people were detained.

The justices found that the demonstrators had been incited by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, bring back stability and bring him back to power.

At the moment, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also prohibited from running for public office until 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The former president called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the next presidential race.