Bolsonaro taken into custody after being considered a escape threat

The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The ex-president was found guilty of plotting a military coup in the ninth month and sentenced more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he remained under home detention pending legal challenges.

High Court Judge the presiding justice said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a preventative measure after fresh information were revealed.

This involved seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a public vigil that could "allow for a possible escape.

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a filing authorising the custody, the magistrate said information from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the protest called by his offspring.

His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a legislator, called for a meeting of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.

His son wrote on online platforms on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or see it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I invite you to battle with us."

He said the vigil would be so followers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the potential of his "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a record of planning to ask for protection through a consular facility", a declaration said.

The court filing highlights that the United States embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is located around 8 miles from the former president's residence.

Worldwide Consequences

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist United States President President Trump, prompting him to enact a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

The former president is being held in a national police facility in Brasilia and will have a detention review on the following day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.

They also asked that he be permitted to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other ailments.

Details of Guilty Verdict

He was found guilty of heading a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, President Lula.

High Court judges said that he was aware of a plot which included plans to murder his opponent and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over the former president's case.

The conspiracy was thwarted because it failed to get the backing of the armed forces officials. The current president was sworn in without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a following week, on January 8th, numerous his followers attacked and damaged official structures in the capital, Brazil's capital.

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

The judges found that the demonstrators had been provoked by him whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, bring back stability and bring him back to power.

At the moment, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also barred from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

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