The former Brazilian president detained after being deemed a risk of fleeing
Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.
The former head of state was convicted of orchestrating a government overthrow in last fall and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he was staying under house arrest pending appeals.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after recent developments were revealed.
This involved attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could enable a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a document approving the detention, the judge said intelligence from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his flight.
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his son.
His son, Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a meeting of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.
The senator wrote on online platforms on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I urge you to fight with us."
He said the vigil would be so supporters could "pray for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."
Foreign Shelter Risks
Part of the magistrate's decision was the possibility of his transfer to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of planning to request asylum through a embassy office", a statement said.
The judicial paperwork highlights that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is located around 13km from the former president's residence.
Worldwide Consequences
The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist American leader Donald Trump, leading him to enact a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brasilia 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 Top Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.
They also petitioned that the former president be allowed to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he demanded ongoing care for lung conditions and other ailments.
Background on Conviction
The former president was convicted of heading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the national vote to his ideological adversary, Lula.
Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plot which encompassed plans to kill the current president and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.
The plot was thwarted because it didn't receive the support of the armed forces officials. Lula was took office without issue on 1 January 2023.
But a week later, on 8 January, many Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged government buildings in the federal district, Brasília.
The police stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.
The justices found that the protesters had been encouraged by him whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, bring back stability and bring him back to power.
At the time, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.
He was also barred from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.
The former president called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the next presidential race.