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Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The ex-president was found guilty of plotting a armed takeover in the ninth month and handed more than a 27-year term in prison, but he continued under house arrest pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after "new facts" came to light.

This involved trying to remove his tracking device and a invitation to a public vigil that could facilitate a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Escape Concerns

In a paperwork permitting the custody, Justice Moraes said data from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the surveillance device to ensure success in his flight.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.

His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a legislator, called for a meeting of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.

The senator wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or see it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I urge you to fight with us."

He said the gathering would be so backers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the judge's decision was the chance of the former president's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a background of arranging to seek refuge through a embassy office", a statement said.

The court filing underscores that the US embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is located around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

Global Responses

His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist United States President Trump, leading him to implement a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

The former president is being kept in a national police facility in Brasilia and will experience a detention review on Sunday.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Top Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with digital surveillance.

They also requested that Bolsonaro be authorized to leave his home for medical care, saying he demanded ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.

Context of Sentencing

The former president was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the 2022 election to his political opponent, Lula.

High Court judges said that he was aware of a scheme which involved plans to murder his opponent and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.

The scheme was stopped because it couldn't obtain the backing of the military leaders. His successor was sworn in without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, many his followers attacked and damaged official structures in the federal district, the capital city.

The security forces stepped in and around 1,500 people were detained.

The judges found that the demonstrators had been incited by him whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, reestablish control and bring him back to power.

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

He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The former president called the court case a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 presidential election.