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

Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.

The ex-president was convicted of orchestrating a military coup in September and handed more than over two decades in incarceration, but he remained under confinement pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a preventative measure after recent developments came to light.

This encompassed trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a summons to a public vigil that could "allow for a potential flight.

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a paperwork permitting the arrest, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his getaway".

This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.

His son, Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a gathering of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.

His son wrote on social media on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your couch? I call on you to battle with us."

He said the gathering would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his health and for the return of democracy in our country."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the magistrate's decision was the potential of Bolsonaro's move to embassies near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of organizing to ask for protection through a embassy office", a declaration said.

The judicial paperwork highlights that the US embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is located around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist US President Trump, leading him to impose a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.

The former president is being kept in a national police facility in Brasilia and will have a detention review on the next day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with digital surveillance.

They also asked that the former president be permitted to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he needed regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

The former president was found guilty of heading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plot which involved plans to assassinate the current president and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The plot was stopped because it didn't receive the endorsement of the armed forces officials. Lula was took office without issue on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on January 8th, many Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged official structures in the capital, Brazil's capital.

The police intervened and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.

The judges found that the rioters had been encouraged by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to take action, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.

At the time, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".

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

The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 national vote.