Jair Bolsonaro arrested after being declared a risk of fleeing

Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.

The former head of state was found guilty of plotting a armed takeover in September and given more than a 27-year term in prison, but he continued under home detention pending appeals.

High Court Judge the presiding justice said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" were revealed.

This involved seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a summons to a demonstration that could "allow for a potential flight.

Court Filing Details Escape Risks

In a document approving the detention, the judge said information from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the tracking monitor to ensure success in his flight.

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

His offspring, his son Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.

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

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

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the judge's ruling was the possibility of his transfer to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of organizing to ask for protection through a embassy office", a statement said.

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

Worldwide Consequences

His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative US President Trump, leading him to impose a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.

Bolsonaro is being held in a national police facility in Brasilia and will experience a custody hearing on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

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

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

Context of Sentencing

The former president was determined responsible of orchestrating a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the national vote to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a scheme which encompassed plans to assassinate Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.

The scheme was prevented because it didn't receive the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. The current president was inaugurated without incident on January 1st, 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, numerous his followers attacked and damaged official structures in the national capital, Brazil's capital.

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

The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been encouraged 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 period, the legal team called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also banned from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.

The ex-leader called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 national vote.