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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 former head of state was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in last fall and sentenced more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he remained under house arrest pending legal challenges.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" came to light.

This involved attempting to break his tracking device and a call for a demonstration that could enable a chance to flee".

Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns

In a document approving the detention, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the tracking monitor to ensure success in his getaway".

This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his child.

His son, his son Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his supporters near his father's house to take place on the weekend.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I call on you to battle with us."

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

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the possibility of the former president's move to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of organizing to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The judicial paperwork highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brasilia, is located around 8 miles from his dwelling.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist American leader Trump, prompting him to impose a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.

He is being held in a national police facility in the capital and will undergo a custody hearing on the next day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with tracking devices.

They also asked that the former president be authorized to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

He was determined responsible of heading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his political opponent, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a scheme which involved plans to murder his opponent and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.

The plot was thwarted because it failed to get the support of the army and air force commanders. The current president was took office without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, thousands of his backers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the capital, the capital city.

The security forces took action and around 1,500 people were arrested.

The justices found that the protesters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, bring back stability and bring him back to power.

At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.

He was also barred from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the end of his sentence.

The former president called the court case a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 national vote.