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

The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The ex-president was found guilty of planning a armed takeover in the ninth month and handed more than 27 years in jail, but he continued under home detention pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after fresh information were revealed.

This encompassed attempting to break his tracking device and a call for a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a potential flight.

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a paperwork permitting the detention, the judge said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his escape.

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

His son, Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a gathering 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 homeland, or see it all from your phone there on your sofa? I urge you to battle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so backers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our country."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the judge's decision was the possibility of his "relocation to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a history of arranging to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The legal document underscores that the United States embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 13km from his dwelling.

Global Responses

His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist American leader President Trump, causing him to enact a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

He is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will have a imprisonment assessment on the following day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with tracking devices.

They also petitioned that the former president be permitted to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he needed frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

He was found guilty of heading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the national vote to his political opponent, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plot which involved plans to kill the current president and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The scheme was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the backing of the armed forces officials. Lula was inaugurated without issue on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on January 8th, many Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised official structures in the capital, the capital city.

The security forces stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.

The judges found that the protesters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, bring back stability and return him to office.

At the time, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.

He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the next presidential race.