Jair Bolsonaro taken into custody after being considered a escape threat

Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.

The one-time leader was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in last fall and given more than a 27-year term in prison, but he continued under confinement pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" emerged.

This encompassed seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a call for a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a potential flight.

Court Filing Details Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said information from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his flight.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the protest called by his child.

His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his supporters near the former president's residence 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 phone there on your sofa? I urge you to fight with us."

He said the vigil would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the return of democracy in our country."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the magistrate's ruling was the possibility of Bolsonaro's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of planning to request asylum through a embassy office", a announcement said.

The judicial paperwork underscores that the US embassy in the capital, the capital city, is positioned around 13km from his dwelling.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist American leader Trump, leading him to implement a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being kept in a national police facility in Brasilia and will have a custody hearing on the next day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with digital surveillance.

They also asked that the former president be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he required ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other health problems.

Details of Guilty Verdict

Bolsonaro was determined responsible of heading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the presidential race to his ideological adversary, President Lula.

High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a scheme which included plans to murder Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.

The conspiracy was stopped because it failed to get the support of the army and air force commanders. Lula was sworn in without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed official structures in the federal district, Brasília.

The law enforcement took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.

The magistrates found that the protesters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, restore order and reinstate his authority.

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

He was also barred from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The former president called the court case a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him competing in the next presidential race.