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Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.

The ex-president was found guilty of planning a military coup in the ninth month and sentenced more than 27 years in prison, but he remained under home detention pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after recent developments were revealed.

This involved trying to remove his ankle monitor and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could enable a chance to flee".

Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said intelligence from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his getaway".

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his child.

His offspring, his son Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a assembly of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.

The senator wrote on social media on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or observe everything from your phone there on your sofa? I urge you to battle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so followers could "pray for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the judge's decision was the potential of Bolsonaro's move to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of arranging to seek refuge through a consular facility", a announcement said.

The legal document highlights that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 13km from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist American leader President Trump, prompting him to implement a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.

Bolsonaro is being detained in a national police facility in Brasilia and will have a custody hearing on Sunday.

Recent Judicial Appeals

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

They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be authorized to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he needed frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other health problems.

Context of Sentencing

He was determined responsible of heading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the national vote to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plot which involved plans to kill the current president and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing the former president's case.

The conspiracy was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the support of the military leaders. Lula was took office without incident on January 1st, 2023.

But a following week, on the eighth of January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed public facilities in the national capital, Brazil's capital.

The law enforcement intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.

The judges found that the rioters had been incited by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, restore order and bring him back to power.

At the time, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.

The one-time head of state called the court case a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.