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

The ex-president was convicted of orchestrating a armed takeover in last fall and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he was staying under home detention pending appeals.

Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the move to detain the elderly politician was a precautionary step after fresh information were revealed.

This involved seeking to disable his tracking device and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns

In a paperwork permitting the arrest, the judge said intelligence from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the former leader's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his escape.

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

His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a legislator, called for a gathering of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or observe everything from your phone there on your settee? I invite you to battle with us."

He said the gathering would be so backers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our land."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the potential of Bolsonaro's "relocation to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a history of organizing to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.

The court filing emphasizes that the United States embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.

International Reactions

The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist US President Donald Trump, leading him to enact a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.

Bolsonaro is being held in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will undergo a detention review on the next day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also asked that Bolsonaro be permitted to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he needed frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was convicted of orchestrating a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the 2022 election to his political opponent, President Lula.

High Court judges said that he was aware of a plot which involved plans to kill his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The conspiracy was prevented because it couldn't obtain the backing of the army and air force commanders. Lula was took office without issue on 1 January 2023.

But a week later, on January 8th, numerous Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged public facilities in the national capital, Brazil's capital.

The law enforcement stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.

The judges found that the protesters had been incited by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, bring back stability and return him to office.

At the moment, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also barred from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the next presidential race.