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Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.

The former head of state was convicted of orchestrating a armed takeover in last fall and sentenced more than over two decades in prison, but he was staying under confinement pending legal challenges.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after recent developments were revealed.

This involved attempting to break his tracking device and a summons to a public vigil that could facilitate a chance to flee".

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a filing authorising the arrest, the judge said information from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his getaway".

This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the gathering called by his offspring.

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

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your couch? I invite you to struggle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could "pray for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the potential of Bolsonaro's "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of arranging to ask for protection through a consular facility", a statement said.

The court filing highlights that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is situated around 13km from his dwelling.

International Reactions

The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist American leader President Trump, prompting him to impose a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.

He is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will experience a detention review on the following day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.

They also asked that the former president be authorized to leave his home for medical care, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

The former president was determined responsible of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

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

The scheme was thwarted because it failed to get the endorsement of the military leaders. His successor was sworn in without problem on January 1st, 2023.

But a following week, on January 8th, thousands of his backers invaded and destroyed government buildings in the federal district, Brazil's capital.

The police stepped in and around 1,500 people were detained.

The justices found that the rioters had been incited by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, bring back stability and bring him back to power.

At the time, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.

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

The ex-leader called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 national vote.