Jair Bolsonaro arrested after being considered a risk of fleeing

Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.

The former head of state was sentenced of planning a military coup in the ninth month and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he remained under home detention pending appeals.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a safety action after recent developments were revealed.

This involved attempting to break his tracking device and a invitation to a public vigil that could enable a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Escape Concerns

In a paperwork permitting the detention, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his escape.

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

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

His son wrote on online platforms on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your couch? I invite you to battle with us."

He said the gathering would be so followers could "pray for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the possibility of the former president's transfer to embassies near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a history of planning to request asylum through a embassy office", a announcement said.

The court filing emphasizes that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 8 miles from the former president's residence.

Worldwide Consequences

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist US President Donald Trump, leading him to impose a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.

He is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will experience a imprisonment assessment on the following day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with digital surveillance.

They also asked that the former president be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he needed regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

The former president was found guilty of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plan which encompassed plans to assassinate his opponent and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.

The plot was prevented because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the military leaders. His successor was inaugurated without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a week later, on the eighth of January, many Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed official structures in the national capital, Brasília.

The security forces intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.

The judges found that the protesters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, reestablish control and return him to office.

At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.

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

The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 presidential election.