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Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.

The former head of state was found guilty of planning a military coup in last fall and sentenced more than a 27-year term in jail, but he remained under house arrest pending appeals.

High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a precautionary step after recent developments came to light.

This encompassed attempting to break his tracking device and a invitation to a public vigil that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Judicial Records Show Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the custody, the judge said intelligence from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's plan to remove the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos 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 the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.

The senator wrote on digital networks on Friday: Will you battle for your homeland, or see it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I urge you to fight with us."

He said the gathering would be so backers could "pray for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's ruling was the possibility of his move to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a history of planning to request asylum through a embassy office", a declaration said.

The judicial paperwork underscores that the US embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is located around 13km from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist American leader Trump, causing him to impose a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will have a imprisonment assessment on the following day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with tracking devices.

They also requested that the former president be allowed to leave his home for medical care, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

The former president was convicted of orchestrating a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the 2022 election to his political opponent, Lula.

High Court judges said that he was aware of a plan which involved plans to murder his opponent and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The scheme was thwarted because it didn't receive the endorsement of the military leaders. His successor was took office without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a following week, on the eighth of January, many his followers stormed and vandalised official structures in the national capital, the capital city.

The security forces intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.

The judges found that the demonstrators had been provoked by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to step in, bring back stability and return him to office.

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

He was also banned from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 national vote.