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Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.

The ex-president was convicted of plotting a military coup in September and handed more than 27 years in jail, but he remained under house arrest pending legal challenges.

High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after "new facts" were revealed.

This encompassed attempting to break his tracking device and a summons to a demonstration that could facilitate a chance to flee".

Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns

In a document approving the arrest, the magistrate said data from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the protest called by his son.

His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a congressional representative, 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 the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your sofa? I call on you to fight with us."

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

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the magistrate's decision was the chance of the former president's move to foreign missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of planning to request asylum through a consular facility", a declaration said.

The judicial paperwork underscores that the United States embassy in the capital, the capital city, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative American leader Donald Trump, causing him to impose a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.

Bolsonaro is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will experience a detention review on the following day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the High Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.

They also petitioned that he be permitted to depart his residence for medical care, saying he needed frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Context of Sentencing

Bolsonaro was found guilty of heading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the presidential race to his political opponent, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a scheme which encompassed plans to assassinate Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The scheme was stopped because it couldn't obtain the backing of the military leaders. The current president was inaugurated without problem on the first day of 2023.

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

The police stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.

The judges found that the rioters had been encouraged by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, bring back stability and return him to office.

At the moment, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.

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

The one-time head of state called the trial a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 national vote.