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Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.

The former head of state was convicted of orchestrating a armed takeover in the ninth month and handed more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he remained under confinement pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a precautionary step after fresh information were revealed.

This encompassed attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a demonstration that could facilitate a chance to flee".

Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the arrest, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.

His son, his son Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a gathering of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.

His son wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your sofa? I urge you to fight with us."

He said the gathering would be so backers could "pray for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the potential of his "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of organizing to seek refuge through a embassy office", a announcement said.

The legal document emphasizes that the United States embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

The former president's legal troubles have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative United States President Donald Trump, leading him to impose a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.

He is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a detention review on Sunday.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with tracking devices.

They also asked that the former president be allowed to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he demanded ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was determined responsible of leading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a scheme which involved plans to kill his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The conspiracy was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the backing of the army and air force commanders. The current president was inaugurated without issue on 1 January 2023.

But a following week, on January 8th, thousands of his backers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the national capital, the capital city.

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

The justices found that the protesters had been incited by him whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to take action, restore order and reinstate his authority.

At the time, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.

The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 national vote.