The former Brazilian president taken into custody after being deemed a flight risk

The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.

The former head of state was convicted of orchestrating a military coup in the ninth month and sentenced more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he was staying under house arrest pending appeals.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" were revealed.

This involved seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a summons to a public vigil that could facilitate a chance to flee".

Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks

In a document approving the arrest, the magistrate said information from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the former leader's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his escape.

This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his child.

His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a senator, called for a meeting of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Will you battle for your country, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I urge you to battle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so followers could "pray for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the judge's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's move to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a record of organizing to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brazil's capital, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.

International Reactions

His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative US President Trump, leading him to enact a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

Bolsonaro is being kept 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 Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with tracking devices.

They also asked that Bolsonaro be allowed to depart his residence for medical care, saying he needed regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other ailments.

Details of Guilty Verdict

Bolsonaro was determined responsible of heading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plot which encompassed plans to murder Lula and his running partner, Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been presiding over the former president's case.

The plot was stopped because it failed to get the support of the army and air force commanders. The current president was inaugurated without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, thousands of his backers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the federal district, Brasília.

The security forces stepped in and around 1,500 people were detained.

The justices found that the demonstrators had been incited by him whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, restore order and return him to office.

At the period, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.

He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The one-time head of state called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 national vote.