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

Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.

The one-time leader was found guilty of plotting a government overthrow in last fall and handed more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he remained under home detention pending legal challenges.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after recent developments emerged.

This involved attempting to break his ankle monitor and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could enable a potential flight.

Court Filing Details Flight Fears

In a document approving the arrest, the judge said information from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his child.

His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a legislator, called for a gathering of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I invite you to battle with us."

He said the vigil would be so backers could "pray for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our land."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the judge's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's transfer to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a record of organizing to ask for protection through a consular facility", a announcement said.

The court filing emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 13km from his dwelling.

Worldwide Consequences

The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist US President Donald Trump, leading him to implement a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.

Bolsonaro is being kept in a Federal Police station in the capital and will have a custody hearing on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Top Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.

They also requested that Bolsonaro be authorized to leave his home for healthcare, saying he demanded regular treatment for lung conditions and other ailments.

Context of Sentencing

Bolsonaro was found guilty of heading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the presidential race to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plot which involved plans to assassinate his opponent and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.

The scheme was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the backing of the army and air force commanders. The current president was inaugurated without issue on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, numerous his backers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the capital, Brazil's capital.

The security forces intervened and around 1,500 people were arrested.

The judges found that the demonstrators had been provoked by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.

At the moment, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.

The former president called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 national vote.