Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro was taken from house arrest into police custody on Saturday to prevent him from escaping as he appeals a conviction for a failed coup attempt, the Supreme Court said.

The far-right firebrand was sentenced to 27 years in prison over a plot to stop leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office after 2022 elections.

Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes, who is leading the trial against Bolsonaro, said his arrest was a preventative measure as he is a "high flight risk", and not the execution of his sentence.

Bolsonaro, who governed Brazil from 2019 to 2022, was placed under house arrest in August and has been confined to an upscale condominium in the capital Brasilia, and monitored electronically.

In his ruling, Moraes said that a planned

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