Jair Bolsonaro arrested after being deemed a risk of fleeing

Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.

The one-time leader was convicted of plotting a military coup in the ninth month and sentenced more than over two decades in incarceration, but he was staying under confinement pending appeals.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after "new facts" emerged.

This included attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a call for a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a possible escape.

Court Filing Details Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the arrest, the judge said intelligence from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's plan to remove the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his flight.

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

His offspring, his son Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a assembly of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.

The senator wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or see 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 seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the judge's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's transfer to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of planning to request asylum through a consular facility", a declaration said.

The court filing highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 13km from his dwelling.

Global Responses

His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative US President Donald Trump, leading him to implement a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being held in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.

They also requested that the former president be authorized to leave his home for medical care, saying he demanded ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other health problems.

Details of Guilty Verdict

The former president was determined responsible of heading a plot aimed at retaining his authority 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 plan which encompassed plans to kill the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.

The conspiracy was stopped because it didn't receive the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. The current president was sworn in without issue on the first day of 2023.

But a week later, on January 8th, many his followers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the federal district, Brazil's capital.

The security forces took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.

The justices found that the rioters had been incited 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 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.

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