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Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.

The one-time leader was found guilty of plotting a government overthrow in last fall and sentenced more than over two decades in prison, but he continued under confinement pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the move to detain the elderly politician was a safety action after "new facts" were revealed.

This encompassed trying to remove his tracking device and a call for a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears

In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's plan to remove the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his escape.

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

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

The senator wrote on online platforms on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your sofa? I invite you to fight with us."

He said the demonstration would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the magistrate's determination was the possibility of Bolsonaro's move to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a record of arranging to seek refuge through a embassy office", a statement said.

The court filing underscores that the US embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is situated around 13km from his dwelling.

Worldwide Consequences

Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist American leader Donald Trump, leading him to implement a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.

He is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will have a custody hearing on the next day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with tracking devices.

They also requested that he be permitted to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

The former president was convicted of orchestrating a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a scheme which included plans to kill the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.

The plot was thwarted because it failed to get the backing of the military leaders. The current president was sworn in without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, many his backers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the federal district, Brazil's capital.

The law enforcement took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.

The justices found that the rioters had been provoked by him whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, reestablish control and bring him back to power.

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

He was also prohibited from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The former president called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the 2026 presidential election.