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Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.

The former head of state was sentenced of planning a government overthrow in last fall and given more than a 27-year term in prison, but he was staying under home detention pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after recent developments emerged.

This involved trying to remove his tracking device and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Flight Fears

In a filing authorising the custody, the judge said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's plan to remove the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his flight.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his son.

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

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or see it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I urge you to struggle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could offer prayers for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the magistrate's determination was the chance of Bolsonaro's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a history of organizing to seek refuge through a consular facility", a declaration said.

The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

Global Responses

The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist American leader President Trump, prompting him to enact a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.

He is being detained in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a detention review on Sunday.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with electronic monitoring.

They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be permitted to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he demanded ongoing care for lung conditions and other ailments.

Details of Guilty Verdict

He was determined responsible of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the national vote to his political opponent, President Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plan which involved plans to kill Lula and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The conspiracy was prevented because it couldn't obtain the backing of the armed forces officials. Lula was inaugurated without issue on January 1st, 2023.

But a week later, on the eighth of January, numerous his followers attacked and damaged public facilities in the federal district, Brazil's capital.

The security forces stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were taken into custody.

The judges found that the demonstrators had been incited by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, restore order and return him to office.

At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also banned from running for public office until twenty-sixty - 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.