Jair Bolsonaro arrested after being declared a risk of fleeing

Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.

The one-time leader was sentenced of orchestrating a military coup in the ninth month and sentenced more than 27 years in prison, but he remained under home detention pending appeals.

Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after recent developments were revealed.

This encompassed seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a demonstration that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said information from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the tracking monitor to ensure success in his escape.

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

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

His son wrote on digital networks on Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or watch it all from your phone there on your couch? I call on 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 land."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the potential of his transfer to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of planning to seek refuge through a consular facility", a declaration said.

The legal document underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brasilia, is located around 13km from his dwelling.

Worldwide Consequences

His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist US President Trump, prompting him to impose a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.

The former president is being held in a Federal Police station in the capital and will undergo 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 High Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.

They also petitioned that the former president be permitted to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other health problems.

Context of Sentencing

The former president was determined responsible of leading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.

High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plot which encompassed plans to murder Lula and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The plot was thwarted because it failed to get the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. His successor was inaugurated without issue on January 1st, 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, thousands of his followers attacked and damaged public facilities in the national capital, the capital city.

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

The magistrates found that the rioters had been provoked by him whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, reestablish control and return him to office.

At the period, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also banned from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.

The ex-leader called the court case a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.