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

The ex-president was found guilty of plotting a military coup in last fall and sentenced more than 27 years in jail, but he continued under home detention pending court reviews.

High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a preventative measure after recent developments were revealed.

This encompassed attempting to break his tracking device and a call for a demonstration that could facilitate a possible escape.

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a filing authorising the detention, Justice Moraes said information from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his offspring.

His child, Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a gathering of his followers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I invite you to battle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could offer prayers for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the chance of Bolsonaro's "relocation to embassies near the home, considering that the probes revealed a background of arranging to request asylum through a consular facility", a announcement said.

The legal document emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, the capital city, is positioned around 13km from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist US President Trump, causing him to implement a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.

Bolsonaro is being held in a Federal Police station in the capital and will undergo a custody hearing on the next day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with digital surveillance.

They also requested that the former president be authorized to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he demanded ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.

Details of Guilty Verdict

Bolsonaro was found guilty of orchestrating a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he lost the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, President Lula.

High Court judges said that he knew of a plan which involved plans to kill the current president and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The scheme was stopped because it failed to get the backing of the armed forces officials. The current president was sworn in without problem on January 1st, 2023.

But a following week, on 8 January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed official structures in the national capital, Brasília.

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

The magistrates found that the rioters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to take action, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.

At the time, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.

He was also barred from seeking elected position until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The former president called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 presidential election.