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

The one-time leader was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in September and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he was staying under house arrest pending court reviews.

High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" came to light.

This included seeking to disable his tracking device and a call for a demonstration that could facilitate a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears

In a paperwork permitting the arrest, the judge said data from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's aim to disable the surveillance device to ensure success in his escape.

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

His son, his son Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I urge you to battle with us."

He said the vigil would be so followers could "pray for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our country."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the possibility of the former president's transfer to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a record of arranging to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.

The court filing highlights that the US embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is positioned around 8 miles from his dwelling.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist United States President Trump, prompting him to implement a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.

He is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with digital surveillance.

They also petitioned that the former president be permitted to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he needed frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other health problems.

Context of Sentencing

He was determined responsible of orchestrating a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the national vote to his ideological adversary, President Lula.

High Court judges said that he was aware of a plot which encompassed plans to assassinate Lula and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The scheme was prevented because it didn't receive the backing of the armed forces officials. The current president was sworn in without incident on January 1st, 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, many Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed public facilities in the national capital, Brazil's capital.

The police intervened and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.

The magistrates found that the rioters had been encouraged by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.

At the moment, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also barred from running for public office until 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.

The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 national vote.