Bolsonaro taken into custody after being declared a risk of fleeing

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

The former head of state was convicted of orchestrating a military coup in September and given more than a 27-year term in prison, but he remained under house arrest pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after recent developments came to light.

This involved trying to remove his tracking device and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns

In a document approving the custody, the judge said information from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his getaway".

This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his son.

His offspring, his son Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a gathering of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Will you battle for your nation, or watch it all from your phone there on your settee? I urge you to fight with us."

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could "pray for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's transfer to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a record of arranging to request asylum through a consular facility", a declaration said.

The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brasilia, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.

Worldwide Consequences

Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative United States President President Trump, leading him to implement a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.

He is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will undergo a detention review on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also requested that he be allowed to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he required regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

He was found guilty of orchestrating a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the national vote to his political opponent, Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a scheme which involved plans to kill the current president and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The plot was stopped because it failed to get the support of the army and air force commanders. His successor was sworn in without issue on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, many Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged government buildings in the federal district, Brazil's capital.

The police intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.

The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been provoked by him whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, restore order and reinstate his authority.

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

He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.

The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 presidential election.