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The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.

The ex-president was found guilty of orchestrating a armed takeover in September and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he was staying under house arrest pending court reviews.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" were revealed.

This included attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks

In a paperwork permitting the custody, the magistrate said data from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the former leader's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his getaway".

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

His son, Flávio, who works as a senator, called for a meeting of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.

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

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

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the possibility of his transfer to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a history of organizing to ask for protection through a consular facility", a statement said.

The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the US embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative United States President President Trump, leading him to implement a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

The former president is being held in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will undergo a detention review on Sunday.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Top Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.

They also requested that Bolsonaro be allowed to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he demanded regular treatment for lung conditions and other health problems.

Context of Sentencing

The former president was determined responsible of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a scheme which included plans to murder the current president and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.

The plot was thwarted because it failed to get the support of the armed forces officials. Lula was sworn in without incident on January 1st, 2023.

But a following week, on 8 January, many Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised government buildings in the capital, Brazil's capital.

The law enforcement intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.

The judges found that the demonstrators had been incited by the former president whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.

At the moment, the legal team called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.

He was also prohibited from running for public office until 2060 - eight years later after the completion of his term.

The one-time head of state called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 national vote.