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

The one-time leader was sentenced of plotting a military coup in September and sentenced more than 27 years in jail, but he remained under home detention pending court reviews.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after recent developments were revealed.

This involved attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a summons to a public vigil that could facilitate a possible escape.

Court Filing Details Escape Concerns

In a document approving the custody, the judge said information from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the former leader's "intention to break the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his escape.

This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his son.

His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.

The senator wrote on social media on Friday: Will you battle 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 followers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the judge's ruling was the chance of his "relocation to embassies near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a history of organizing to request asylum through a embassy office", a statement said.

The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the US embassy in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home.

Global Responses

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

Bolsonaro is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a detention review on the following day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.

They also asked that he be allowed to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he needed frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

He was determined responsible of orchestrating a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the presidential race to his left-wing rival, President Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a scheme which included plans to murder Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.

The conspiracy was prevented because it didn't receive the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. His successor was sworn in without problem on January 1st, 2023.

But a following week, on the eighth of January, thousands of his followers attacked and damaged public facilities in the federal district, the capital city.

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

The judges found that the rioters had been incited by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, reestablish control and bring him back to power.

At the period, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also banned from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him competing in the next presidential race.