Brazil's Bolsonary: Former President Detained Amid Coup Conviction and Asylum Plot

Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil's former president, was detained on Saturday by order of a Supreme Court justice. The detention stems from concerns about Bolsonaro’s potential escape, following months of house arrest related to a coup-plot conviction. Supporters initially planned a vigil outside his home, prompting the court's preventive action.

Brazil's former president, Jair Bolsonaro, was detained by federal authorities on Saturday following an order from a Supreme Court justice. Justice Alexandre de Moraes cited an escape risk as the reason, noting a planned vigil of Bolsonaro supporters and evidence of tampering with his ankle monitor.

Bolsonaro's lawyers confirmed their intention to appeal the decision. They argued the vigil was a constitutionally protected prayer gathering. Meanwhile, the Prosecutor General's Office backed Moraes' order, pointing to Bolsonaro's previous contemplation of asylum at the Argentine embassy.

As Bolsonaro finds himself in a 12-square-meter federal holding room, the Supreme Court is set to review Moraes' directive. Bolsonaro's appellate proceedings continue regarding his 27-year sentence for conspiracy to prevent leftist rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from assuming office in 2023.