Jair Bolsonaro arrested after being considered a escape threat

Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The former head of state was sentenced of orchestrating a government overthrow in last fall and sentenced more than a 27-year term in prison, but he remained under home detention pending appeals.

Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after recent developments emerged.

This involved attempting to break his tracking device and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the custody, the judge said information from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's aim to disable the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his getaway".

This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his child.

His offspring, his son Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.

His son wrote on social media on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or see it all from your phone there on your sofa? I urge you to struggle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so backers could "pray for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the judge's determination was the chance of the former president's transfer to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a history of planning to ask for protection through a embassy office", a statement said.

The legal document underscores that the United States embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.

International Reactions

His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist American leader Trump, prompting him to implement a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.

He is being held in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will undergo a detention review on the next day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also requested that Bolsonaro be allowed to depart his residence for medical care, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

He was found guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the national vote to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a scheme which encompassed plans to murder his opponent and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.

The conspiracy was stopped because it failed to get the support of the armed forces officials. The current president was took office without problem on the first day of 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, many his followers attacked and damaged government buildings in the national capital, Brasília.

The law enforcement took action and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.

The judges found that the rioters had been encouraged by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to step in, bring back stability and return him to office.

At the period, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.

He was also barred from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.

The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 national vote.