Jair Bolsonaro taken into custody after being deemed a risk of fleeing

Jair Bolsonaro has been arrested after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.

The one-time leader was convicted of plotting a armed takeover in September and sentenced more than a 27-year term in jail, but he continued under house arrest pending legal challenges.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after fresh information emerged.

This encompassed attempting to break his ankle monitor and a invitation to a demonstration that could "allow for a potential flight.

Court Filing Details Flight Fears

In a document approving the arrest, Justice Moraes said information from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the former leader's "intention to break the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his getaway".

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the protest called by his child.

His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.

The senator wrote on online platforms on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your couch? I call on you to struggle with us."

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

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's determination was the chance of his "relocation to embassies near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of arranging to ask for protection through a consular facility", a announcement said.

The court filing highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative American leader President Trump, causing him to enact a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.

The former president is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will have a custody hearing on the following day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Top Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with digital surveillance.

They also asked that the former president be allowed to leave his home for medical care, saying he demanded ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.

Context of Sentencing

The former president was determined responsible of heading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the presidential race to his political opponent, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plot which included plans to kill the current president and his running partner, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.

The plot was stopped because it didn't receive the endorsement of the military leaders. His successor was sworn in without issue on the first day of 2023.

But a following week, on January 8th, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised official structures in the capital, Brazil's capital.

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

The justices found that the demonstrators had been provoked by him whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, reestablish control and return him to office.

At the moment, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also barred from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The ex-leader called the court case a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him competing in the next presidential race.