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

The ex-president was convicted of planning a government overthrow in last fall and handed more than over two decades in prison, but he remained under house arrest pending appeals.

Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" came to light.

This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a public vigil that could "allow for a potential flight.

Court Filing Details Flight Fears

In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said data from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the surveillance device to ensure success in his flight.

This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.

His child, his son Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his followers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or see it all from your phone there on your sofa? I invite you to battle with us."

He said the gathering 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 Justice Moraes's determination was the potential of the former president's move to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of planning to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.

The judicial paperwork highlights that the US embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 13km from the former president's residence.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist United States President President Trump, causing him to impose a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.

The former president is being held in a national police facility in the capital and will have a detention review on the next day.

Recent Legal Requests

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 electronic monitoring.

They also petitioned that he be permitted to leave his home for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was found guilty of heading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the national vote to his left-wing rival, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plot which involved plans to murder the current president and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been presiding over the former president's case.

The plot was prevented because it didn't receive the backing of the army and air force commanders. The current president was took office without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised public facilities in the national capital, Brasília.

The law enforcement took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.

The magistrates found that the protesters had been incited by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, restore order and reinstate his authority.

At the period, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.

He was also banned from running for public office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the end of his sentence.

The former president called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 national vote.