Bolsonaro taken into custody 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 ex-president was found guilty of plotting a armed takeover in the ninth month and sentenced more than over two decades in prison, but he remained under home detention pending court reviews.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after fresh information came to light.

This involved trying to remove his ankle monitor and a invitation to a public vigil that could enable a potential flight.

Court Filing Details Escape Risks

In a document approving the arrest, the magistrate said intelligence from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the surveillance device to ensure success in his escape.

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

His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a legislator, called for a meeting of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.

His son wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Will you battle for your country, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I urge you to battle with us."

He said the vigil would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the judge's decision was the potential of Bolsonaro's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of organizing to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The legal document highlights that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.

International Reactions

The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist United States President President Trump, prompting him to implement a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

He is being kept in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will have a imprisonment assessment on the following day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.

They also asked that he be allowed to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he needed ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.

Context of Sentencing

Bolsonaro was convicted of heading a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, President Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plot which encompassed plans to murder his opponent and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The scheme was thwarted because it didn't receive the support of the military leaders. Lula was sworn in without problem on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on January 8th, numerous his backers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the capital, Brasília.

The security forces stepped in and around 1,500 people were detained.

The justices found that the rioters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, reestablish control and bring him back to power.

At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also barred from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the completion of his term.

The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him running in the next presidential race.