Jair Bolsonaro taken into custody after being declared a escape threat
The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The ex-president was convicted of planning a armed takeover in last fall and given more than over two decades in prison, but he was staying under confinement pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after fresh information came to light.
This involved seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a call for a public vigil that could enable a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a document approving the custody, the magistrate said data from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his flight.
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His offspring, his son Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a meeting of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your country, or watch 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 seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the judge's ruling was the possibility of the former president's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a record of planning to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.
The court filing highlights that the US embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is located around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative American leader Trump, prompting him to enact a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.
He is being detained in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will experience a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be allowed to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he required frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other health problems.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was determined responsible of leading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he knew of a plan which involved plans to murder the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over the former president's case.
The plot was stopped because it didn't receive the endorsement of the armed forces officials. The current president was inaugurated without issue on January 1st, 2023.
But a week later, on January 8th, numerous his followers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the capital, BrasÃlia.
The security forces intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.
The justices found that the protesters had been incited by him whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to take action, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.
He was also banned from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.
The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him competing in the next presidential race.