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Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.

The ex-president was convicted of orchestrating a military coup in the ninth month and handed more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he continued under confinement pending legal challenges.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after recent developments came to light.

This included trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a call for a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a possible escape.

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a document approving the arrest, the judge said data from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the former leader's "intention to break the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his flight.

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

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

The senator wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Will you battle for your nation, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your settee? I invite you to battle with us."

He said the gathering would be so supporters could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the magistrate's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's move to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a record of planning to seek refuge through a embassy office", a statement said.

The judicial paperwork underscores that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is positioned around 8 miles from the former president's residence.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist US President Trump, prompting him to implement a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.

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

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with tracking devices.

They also petitioned that he be permitted to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

He was determined responsible of orchestrating a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plot which encompassed plans to assassinate his opponent and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.

The plot was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the armed forces officials. Lula was sworn in without problem on 1 January 2023.

But a week later, on the eighth of January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised official structures in the national capital, Brasília.

The law enforcement intervened and around 1,500 people were arrested.

The magistrates found that the protesters had been provoked by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, reestablish control and bring him back to power.

At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.

He was also prohibited from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years later 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 next presidential race.