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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 former head of state was found guilty of plotting a government overthrow in last fall and handed more than over two decades in jail, but he remained under house arrest pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" were revealed.

This encompassed seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a summons to a public vigil that could enable a potential flight.

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a filing authorising the custody, the magistrate said intelligence from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the tracking monitor to ensure success in his escape.

This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his child.

His child, his son Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a gathering of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.

The senator wrote on online platforms on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your sofa? I invite you to struggle with us."

He said the vigil would be so backers could "pray for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the judge's ruling was the possibility of Bolsonaro's transfer to embassies near the home, considering that the probes revealed a history of planning to seek refuge through a embassy office", a announcement said.

The judicial paperwork highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brasilia, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.

Global Responses

His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist United States President President Trump, leading him to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.

He is being kept in a national police facility in Brasilia and will have a detention review on the next day.

Recent Legal Requests

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 requested that Bolsonaro be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he required frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.

Context of Sentencing

He was determined responsible of leading a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the presidential race to his ideological adversary, President Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plot which included plans to assassinate his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.

The scheme was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. Lula was took office without issue on the first day of 2023.

But a week later, on the eighth of January, numerous his backers attacked and damaged public facilities in the national capital, Brasília.

The police intervened and around 1,500 people were arrested.

The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.

At the time, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also banned from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The ex-leader called the court case a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 national vote.