Jair Bolsonaro detained after being deemed a risk of fleeing

Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.

The one-time leader was found guilty of plotting a military coup in last fall and sentenced more than over two decades in prison, but he continued under house arrest pending appeals.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after recent developments were revealed.

This involved seeking to disable his tracking device and a call for a demonstration that could facilitate a chance to flee".

Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the arrest, Justice Moraes said data from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's aim to disable the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his getaway".

This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the protest called by his son.

His son, his son Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.

The senator wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your settee? I invite you to struggle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could offer prayers for his health and for the return of democracy in our land."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the possibility of the former president's transfer to embassies near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of planning to request asylum through a consular facility", a announcement said.

The court filing highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brasilia, is situated around 13km from his dwelling.

Global Responses

The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative American leader President Trump, prompting him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

He is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will experience a imprisonment assessment on the next day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with tracking devices.

They also petitioned that he be authorized to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he needed regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

He was determined responsible of orchestrating a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Lula.

High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plan which involved plans to assassinate Lula and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been managing the former president's case.

The scheme was prevented because it failed to get the support of the military leaders. Lula was sworn in without problem on January 1st, 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, numerous his backers attacked and damaged government buildings in the national capital, Brasília.

The police stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.

The judges found that the protesters had been incited by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, reestablish control and bring him back to power.

At the time, the legal team called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.

He was also prohibited from running for public office until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 presidential election.