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Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The ex-president was convicted of planning a armed takeover in last fall and sentenced more than over two decades in prison, but he remained under home detention pending legal challenges.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice the presiding justice said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after recent developments emerged.

This included seeking to disable his tracking device and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Escape Concerns

In a document approving the custody, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the tracking monitor to ensure success in his escape.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his child.

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

The senator wrote on digital networks on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I call on you to struggle with us."

He said the gathering would be so followers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our land."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the judge's ruling was the possibility of his move to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a history of planning to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The legal document emphasizes that the US embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is positioned around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.

International Reactions

The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist United States President Trump, causing him to impose a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will have a custody hearing on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.

They also requested that Bolsonaro be permitted to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he demanded regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other health problems.

Details of Guilty Verdict

The former president was convicted of orchestrating a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Lula.

High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a scheme which encompassed plans to murder his opponent and his running partner, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.

The plot was stopped because it couldn't obtain the backing of the army and air force commanders. The current president was sworn in without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a week later, on the eighth of January, numerous his followers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the federal district, the capital city.

The law enforcement took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.

The justices found that the protesters had been incited by him whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.

At the time, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also banned from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.

The one-time head of state called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 presidential election.