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The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The ex-president was found guilty of orchestrating a armed takeover in September and handed more than a 27-year term in prison, but he remained under home detention pending legal challenges.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after "new facts" came to light.

This encompassed seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a demonstration that could enable a chance to flee".

Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns

In a document approving the arrest, Justice Moraes said information from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's aim to disable the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his getaway".

This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the protest called by his offspring.

His child, his son Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a assembly of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Will you battle for your homeland, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your couch? I call on you to fight with us."

He said the vigil would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our nation."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the judge's determination was the potential of his move to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of organizing to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.

The judicial paperwork underscores that the United States embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is located around 13km from his dwelling.

Global Responses

The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist United States President Donald Trump, leading him to enact a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.

Bolsonaro is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will undergo a custody hearing on the following day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.

They also asked that Bolsonaro be allowed to depart his residence for medical care, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was convicted of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plot which encompassed plans to kill Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.

The conspiracy was stopped because it failed to get the support of the army and air force commanders. Lula was inaugurated without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, many his followers attacked and damaged official structures in the capital, Brasília.

The security forces intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.

The justices found that the protesters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.

At the moment, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.

The former president called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 national vote.