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Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.

The one-time leader was found guilty of orchestrating a armed takeover in the ninth month and sentenced more than a 27-year term in jail, but he was staying under house arrest pending appeals.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a safety action after "new facts" came to light.

This included trying to remove his ankle monitor and a summons to a demonstration that could facilitate a chance to flee".

Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns

In a paperwork permitting the detention, the magistrate said intelligence from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his flight.

This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his son.

His offspring, Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a assembly of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.

His son wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Will you battle for your country, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your couch? I invite you to fight with us."

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

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of arranging to ask for protection through a embassy office", a statement said.

The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the US embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is situated around 13km from his dwelling.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist US President President Trump, causing him to impose a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.

He is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will have a detention review on the following 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 digital surveillance.

They also asked that Bolsonaro be allowed to leave his home for medical care, saying he required regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other health problems.

Context of Sentencing

He was determined responsible of leading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the national vote to his political opponent, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plan which involved plans to kill Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The scheme was thwarted because it didn't receive the endorsement of the armed forces officials. Lula was took office without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a following week, on 8 January, thousands of his backers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the national capital, Brasília.

The law enforcement took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.

The justices found that the protesters had been encouraged by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, restore order and reinstate his authority.

At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

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