The former Brazilian president taken into custody after being declared a flight risk
Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was sentenced of orchestrating a military coup in September and sentenced more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he was staying under house arrest pending appeals.
High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after fresh information were revealed.
This involved seeking to disable his tracking device and a invitation to a public vigil that could enable a chance to flee".
Court Filing Details Flight Fears
In a paperwork permitting the detention, Justice Moraes said information from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his flight.
This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the protest called by his son.
His child, Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a meeting of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or observe everything from your phone there on your settee? I invite you to fight with us."
He said the gathering would be so supporters could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's decision was the chance of Bolsonaro's move to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of planning to request asylum through a embassy office", a statement said.
The legal document highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, the capital city, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
International Reactions
The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative American leader Donald Trump, prompting him to enact a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being held in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will have a detention review on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that Bolsonaro be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other health problems.
Context of Sentencing
The former president was determined responsible of orchestrating a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the national vote to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plan which encompassed plans to assassinate his opponent and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was prevented because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the armed forces officials. Lula was sworn in without problem on January 1st, 2023.
But a following week, on January 8th, thousands of his backers attacked and damaged official structures in the capital, Brasília.
The law enforcement intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The justices found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by him whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to step in, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the moment, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the completion of his term.
The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him running in the next presidential race.