Jair Bolsonaro detained after being considered a escape threat

The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.

The one-time leader was convicted of planning a armed takeover in September and handed more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he was staying under confinement pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the move to detain the elderly politician was a preventative measure after recent developments were revealed.

This involved seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks

In a document approving the detention, Justice Moraes said information from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his escape.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his son.

His son, his son Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a gathering of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or see it all from your phone there on your sofa? I urge you to battle with us."

He said the vigil would be so supporters could "pray for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the judge's decision was the chance of Bolsonaro's "relocation to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a background of organizing to seek refuge through a embassy office", a statement said.

The court filing underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brasilia, is situated around 13km from the former president's residence.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist American leader Donald Trump, leading him to implement a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.

He is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will have a custody hearing on Sunday.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with tracking devices.

They also requested that the former president be permitted to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he required frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was determined responsible of leading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plot which included plans to murder Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.

The scheme was prevented because it failed to get the endorsement of the armed forces officials. His successor was inaugurated without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a week later, on the eighth of January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised public facilities in the federal district, Brazil's capital.

The security forces took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.

The magistrates found that the protesters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, restore order and reinstate his authority.

At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.

He was also banned from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The former president called the court case a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 national vote.