Jair Bolsonaro arrested after being deemed a escape threat

Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.

The ex-president was sentenced of plotting a armed takeover in last fall and handed more than over two decades in jail, but he was staying under house arrest pending legal challenges.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after "new facts" came to light.

This involved attempting to break his tracking device and a summons to a public vigil that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the detention, Justice Moraes said information from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.

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

The senator wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or see it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I invite you to battle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so backers could "pray for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the magistrate's decision was the possibility of the former president's transfer to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a history of arranging to ask for protection through a embassy office", a announcement said.

The court filing underscores that the US embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 8 miles from his dwelling.

Worldwide Consequences

His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative US President President Trump, leading him to implement a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

The former president is being kept in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will experience a detention review on Sunday.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the High Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with tracking devices.

They also petitioned that the former president be allowed to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he needed frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other illnesses.

Context of Sentencing

Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the national vote to his political opponent, President Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plot which encompassed plans to assassinate Lula and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The conspiracy was prevented because it failed to get the support of the armed forces officials. His successor was inaugurated without problem on January 1st, 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, many his backers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the federal district, Brazil's capital.

The police took action and around 1,500 people were detained.

The justices 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 bring him back to power.

At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.

He was also barred from running for public office until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The former president called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 national vote.