The former Brazilian president taken into custody after being declared a escape threat
The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.
The former head of state was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in last fall and handed more than 27 years in jail, but he continued under confinement pending legal challenges.
High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a safety action after "new facts" emerged.
This involved seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a supporters' gathering that could enable a potential flight.
Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears
In a document approving the detention, the judge said information from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to ensure success in his flight.
This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his son.
His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a legislator, called for a assembly of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.
His son wrote on social media on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I invite you to battle with us."
He said the vigil would be so supporters could "pray for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."
Embassy Asylum Concerns
Part of the judge's determination was the potential of his transfer to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of arranging to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.
The court filing emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is located around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.
International Reactions
Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist US President Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.
Bolsonaro is being kept in a national police facility in the capital and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.
Latest Court Petitions
It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Top Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with tracking devices.
They also petitioned that the former president be authorized to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he needed frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other health problems.
Details of Guilty Verdict
The former president was determined responsible of leading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the presidential race to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
High Court judges said that he was aware of a scheme which involved plans to murder Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.
The conspiracy was stopped because it didn't receive the backing of the armed forces officials. His successor was inaugurated without issue on the first day of 2023.
But a seven days after, on 8 January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged public facilities in the national capital, BrasĂlia.
The security forces intervened and around 1,500 people were arrested.
The justices found that the rioters had been incited by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to step in, bring back stability and return him to office.
At the time, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.
He was also banned from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.
The one-time head of state called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 national vote.
