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The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.

The ex-president was sentenced of planning a government overthrow in the ninth month and sentenced more than a 27-year term in jail, but he remained under confinement pending appeals.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after fresh information were revealed.

This encompassed seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the detention, Justice Moraes said data from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the former leader's "intention to break the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his getaway".

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his son.

His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a legislator, called for a gathering of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Will you battle for your country, or see it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I call on you to fight with us."

He said the vigil would be so followers could "pray for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our land."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the magistrate's ruling was the potential of his "relocation to embassies near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of organizing to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.

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

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative American leader Donald Trump, prompting him to impose a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.

He is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will experience a custody hearing on the next day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with tracking devices.

They also petitioned that the former president be permitted to depart his residence for medical care, saying he needed ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

The former president was found guilty of heading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plot which encompassed plans to kill his opponent and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.

The plot was stopped because it couldn't obtain the support of the army and air force commanders. The current president was took office without issue on January 1st, 2023.

But a following week, on January 8th, many his followers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the federal district, the capital city.

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

The justices found that the protesters had been incited by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, reestablish control and return him to office.

At the moment, the legal team called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.

He was also banned from running for public office until 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.

The ex-leader called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 national vote.