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

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

The former head of state was sentenced of orchestrating a armed takeover in last fall and sentenced more than over two decades in prison, but he remained under confinement pending legal challenges.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" were revealed.

This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a public vigil that could facilitate a chance to flee".

Judicial Records Show Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the detention, the judge said data from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's plan to remove the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his flight.

This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his child.

His child, his son Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a gathering of his supporters near his father's house to take place on the weekend.

The senator wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or see it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I urge you to battle with us."

He said the gathering would be so supporters could "pray for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's determination was the potential of the former president's transfer to embassies near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of arranging to ask for protection through a embassy office", a announcement said.

The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 13km from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative United States President Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

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

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.

They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be allowed to leave his home for medical care, saying he demanded regular treatment for lung conditions and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was convicted of leading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, President Lula.

High Court judges said that he knew of a plot which included plans to murder his opponent and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.

The plot was thwarted because it failed to get the backing of the military leaders. The current president was inaugurated without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, many his followers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the federal district, Brasília.

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

The judges found that the demonstrators had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, bring back stability and bring him back to power.

At the time, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also banned from running for public office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.

The ex-leader called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 presidential election.