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The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.

The ex-president was sentenced of orchestrating a military coup in September and given more than a 27-year term in jail, but he continued under home detention pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after fresh information were revealed.

This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a summons to a demonstration that could enable a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears

In a document approving the detention, Justice Moraes said data from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's "intention to break the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his flight.

This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the protest called by his son.

His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his supporters near his father's house to take place on the weekend.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on the previous day: Will you battle for your country, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your settee? I urge you to struggle with us."

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

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the magistrate's ruling was the possibility of Bolsonaro's move to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a background of arranging to request asylum through a embassy office", a declaration said.

The court filing highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brasilia, is located around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist United States President Trump, leading him to enact a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.

He is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will experience a detention review on Sunday.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.

They also requested that he be permitted to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he demanded ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was convicted of orchestrating a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a scheme which involved plans to murder his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The conspiracy was thwarted because it didn't receive the backing of the military leaders. The current president was inaugurated without issue on 1 January 2023.

But a following week, on the eighth of January, thousands of his backers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the national capital, the capital city.

The police stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.

The judges found that the rioters had been encouraged by him whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, bring back stability and bring him back to power.

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

He was also banned from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The former president called the trial a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 national vote.