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

The former Brazilian leader has been arrested after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.

The former head of state was found guilty of planning a military coup in the ninth month and handed more than over two decades in incarceration, but he remained under confinement pending appeals.

Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after recent developments emerged.

This involved seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a public vigil that could enable a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said information from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to ensure success in his getaway".

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

His child, Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a meeting of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.

His son wrote on digital networks on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your couch? I call on you to battle with us."

He said the vigil would be so supporters could "pray for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the magistrate's decision was the chance of his transfer to embassies near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a background of planning to seek refuge through a consular facility", a statement said.

The legal document highlights that the United States embassy in the capital, the capital city, is positioned around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

Worldwide Consequences

The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative United States President President Trump, causing him to enact a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.

Bolsonaro is being held in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will undergo a detention review on the next day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.

They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be authorized to depart his residence for medical care, saying he required ongoing care for lung conditions and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

The former president was determined responsible of orchestrating a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plan which involved plans to assassinate the current president and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The scheme was prevented because it couldn't obtain the support of the army and air force commanders. His successor was took office without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed government buildings in the capital, the capital city.

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

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

At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also banned from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.

The former president called the trial a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 presidential election.