The former Brazilian president detained after being declared a flight risk

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

The one-time leader was convicted of orchestrating a government overthrow in September and given more than 27 years in incarceration, 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 involved attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks

In a paperwork permitting the detention, Justice Moraes said data from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his escape.

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

His child, Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a gathering of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.

The senator wrote on social media on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I urge you to struggle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the potential of the former president's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a history of arranging to request asylum through a embassy office", a statement said.

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

Worldwide Consequences

Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative American leader Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the following day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with tracking devices.

They also petitioned that the former president be authorized to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he needed regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

The former president was found guilty of orchestrating a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a scheme which included plans to murder Lula and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing his judicial proceedings.

The conspiracy was thwarted because it failed to get the support of the armed forces officials. Lula was sworn in without issue on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, many his backers stormed and vandalised official structures in the national capital, Brasília.

The security forces took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.

The magistrates found that the protesters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, restore order and reinstate his authority.

At the moment, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The ex-leader called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 national vote.