Bolsonaro arrested after being considered a flight risk
Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.
The former head of state was found guilty of planning a government overthrow in last fall and sentenced more than 27 years in incarceration, but he remained under confinement pending appeals.
Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" came to light.
This included seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a call for a public vigil that could "allow for a possible escape.
Judicial Records Show Flight Fears
In a filing authorising the arrest, the judge said data from the unit overseeing his home detention 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 confusion caused by the demonstration called by his child.
His offspring, his son Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.
His son wrote on online platforms on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or watch it all from your phone there on your sofa? I urge you to battle with us."
He said the gathering would be so followers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Diplomatic Refuge Fears
Part of the magistrate's determination was the potential of the former president's transfer to foreign missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a record of organizing to seek refuge through a consular facility", a announcement said.
The court filing highlights that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 8 miles from the former president's residence.
Global Responses
Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist US President President Trump, causing him to enact a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.
The former president is being held in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will experience a custody hearing on the following day.
Recent Judicial Appeals
It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also petitioned that he be permitted to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he required frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
Bolsonaro was determined responsible of heading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the 2022 election to his political opponent, President Lula.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a plan which encompassed plans to kill his opponent and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The plot was prevented because it didn't receive the support of the military leaders. His successor was sworn in without problem on 1 January 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, thousands of his followers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the national capital, BrasĂlia.
The police took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.
The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been provoked by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to step in, reestablish control and return him to office.
At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".
He was also prohibited from running for public office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 national vote.
