Jair Bolsonaro taken into custody after being deemed a risk of fleeing
Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The ex-president was found guilty of orchestrating a military coup in last fall and handed more than over two decades in prison, but he was staying under confinement pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge the presiding justice said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after recent developments were revealed.
This involved trying to remove his ankle monitor and a invitation to a demonstration that could enable a potential flight.
Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns
In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said intelligence from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his escape.
This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the protest called by his child.
His son, his son Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I urge you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so followers could "pray for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the chance of his "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of planning to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The court filing underscores that the United States embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist United States President Trump, leading him to impose a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.
The former president is being held in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will undergo a detention review on Sunday.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also asked that the former president be authorized to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he demanded ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was convicted of heading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the 2022 election to his political opponent, President Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plan which included plans to kill the current president and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The plot was stopped because it failed to get the endorsement of the military leaders. Lula was took office without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, thousands of his followers attacked and damaged government buildings in the federal district, Brazil's capital.
The police took action and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The magistrates found that the rioters had been incited by him whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the moment, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from campaigning for office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the trial a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.