The former Brazilian president detained after being considered a escape threat
Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.
The ex-president was convicted of orchestrating a armed takeover in last fall and sentenced more than 27 years in incarceration, but he was staying under house arrest pending court reviews.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after recent developments emerged.
This included seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a demonstration that could "allow for a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said intelligence from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his getaway".
This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the protest called by his child.
His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his followers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.
Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your couch? I urge you to struggle 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 nation."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the magistrate's ruling was the chance of the former president's "relocation to embassies near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a background of organizing to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.
The judicial paperwork highlights that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
Global Responses
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative United States President Donald Trump, causing him to impose a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a Federal Police station in the capital and will have a detention review on the following day.
Recent Legal Requests
It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with tracking devices.
They also requested that he be permitted to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he required ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.
Background on Conviction
He was convicted of leading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the 2022 election to his political opponent, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plot which included plans to assassinate Lula and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was thwarted because it failed to get the support of the military leaders. Lula was took office without problem on the first day of 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, many his backers invaded and destroyed official structures in the national capital, the capital city.
The police intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.
The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to step in, restore order and return him to office.
At the time, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also barred from running for public office until 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.
The ex-leader called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 national vote.