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Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The ex-president was convicted of planning a armed takeover in the ninth month and handed more than 27 years in jail, but he continued under home detention pending appeals.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" were revealed.

This encompassed trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a summons to a demonstration that could enable a possible escape.

Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the custody, the judge said data from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the former leader's aim to disable the surveillance device to ensure success in his escape.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the protest called by his offspring.

His offspring, Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or see it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I urge you to struggle with us."

He said the vigil would be so followers could offer prayers for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's move to embassies near the home, considering that the probes revealed a background of arranging to request asylum through a consular facility", a announcement said.

The judicial paperwork underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

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

He is being held in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will experience a detention review on Sunday.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.

They also asked that Bolsonaro be allowed to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he demanded ongoing care for lung conditions and other health problems.

Details of Guilty Verdict

He was convicted of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the national vote to his ideological adversary, Lula.

High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plot which included plans to kill his opponent and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The plot was stopped because it didn't receive the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. His successor was inaugurated without incident on January 1st, 2023.

But a following week, on 8 January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed government buildings in the national capital, Brazil's capital.

The law enforcement took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.

The justices found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by him whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to step in, reestablish control and return him to office.

At the moment, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also barred from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence.

The ex-leader called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.