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Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.

The one-time leader was sentenced of planning a armed takeover in the ninth month and given more than over two decades in jail, but he continued under house arrest pending legal challenges.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after recent developments emerged.

This included attempting to break his ankle monitor and a call for a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears

In a paperwork permitting the arrest, Justice Moraes said information from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his escape.

This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his child.

His child, his son Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a gathering of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.

The senator wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I urge you to battle with us."

He said the gathering would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the chance of his "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a background of arranging to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is situated around 8 miles from his dwelling.

International Reactions

The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist US President Donald Trump, prompting him to impose a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.

The former president 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 ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with tracking devices.

They also requested that the former president be permitted to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he required regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Details of Guilty Verdict

The former president was found guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a scheme which encompassed plans to assassinate the current president and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing his judicial proceedings.

The plot was thwarted because it failed to get the backing of the army and air force commanders. Lula was took office without problem on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, many his backers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the capital, Brazil's capital.

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

The judges found that the protesters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, restore order and return him to office.

At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence extremely harsh.

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

The former president called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 presidential election.