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

The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.

The ex-president was found guilty of planning a government overthrow in last fall and given more than 27 years in prison, but he remained under home detention pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" emerged.

This included attempting to break his tracking device and a invitation to a demonstration that could enable a potential flight.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks

In a paperwork permitting the detention, Justice Moraes said data from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his child.

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

The senator wrote on digital networks on the previous day: 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 followers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the magistrate's ruling was the potential of Bolsonaro's "relocation to foreign missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a record of arranging to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is located around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

Global Responses

His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative American leader Trump, causing him to enact a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will experience a custody hearing on the following day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

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

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

Background on Conviction

He was found guilty of leading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the national vote to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plot which involved plans to kill his opponent and his running partner, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over the former president's case.

The conspiracy was prevented because it didn't receive the backing of the armed forces officials. Lula was sworn in without issue on January 1st, 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed public facilities in the capital, Brazil's capital.

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

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

At the moment, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.

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

The ex-leader called the trial a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the next presidential race.