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

The former head of state was found guilty of orchestrating a armed takeover in last fall and handed more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he continued under confinement pending legal challenges.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after fresh information were revealed.

This involved attempting to break his tracking device and a summons to a public vigil that could facilitate a potential flight.

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a filing authorising the detention, the magistrate said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his escape.

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

His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a legislator, called for a meeting of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on the weekend.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or see it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I call on you to struggle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could "pray for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the judge's decision was the possibility of Bolsonaro's "relocation to embassies near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a background of planning to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.

The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the capital, the capital city, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist US President Donald Trump, prompting him to implement a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

The former president is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will experience a detention review on the next day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also petitioned that he be allowed to leave his home for medical care, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other ailments.

Context of Sentencing

Bolsonaro was determined responsible of orchestrating a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the presidential race to his left-wing rival, President Lula.

High Court judges said that he knew of a plan which involved plans to kill Lula and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over the former president's case.

The scheme was thwarted because it didn't receive the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. His successor was inaugurated without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a week later, on the eighth of January, many Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed official structures in the federal district, Brazil's capital.

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

The justices found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, reestablish control and bring him back to power.

At the period, the legal team called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also banned from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.

The former president called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 presidential election.