Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro was taken from house arrest into detention on Saturday after the Supreme Court accused him of trying to break his ankle bracelet and plot an escape.

The far-right firebrand was sentenced to 27 years in prison over a scheme to stop leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office after the 2022 elections -- a ruling he is still appealing.

Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes said Bolsonaro's detention was a preventive measure as final appeals play out, as he is a "high flight risk."

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.

In his ruling, Moraes said that a planned vigil outside the condominium called by the former leade

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