Brazil, former president Jair Bolsonaro arrested: 'Danger of flight'

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was arrested at dawn by order of the Supreme Court in Brazil, at the request of the Federal Police: a precautionary measure to ensure public order.

Bolsonaro, who has been under house arrest since 4 August, was taken to the Federal Police Headquarters, where he is being held in a state room reserved for high officials. Stopped at 6am, he arrived at the Headquarters at 6.35am.

The decision comes after his son and senator Flávio Bolsonaro called a public vigil deemed by the authorities to be a risk for citizens and agents.

The judge of the Brazilian Supreme Court, Alexandre de Moraes, stated in the decision that led to Jair Bolsonaro's pre-trial detention that the former president allegedly tried to remove the ankle monitor he has been wearing for almost four months, thus signalling a danger of escape with the imminent risk of evading his house arrest.