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Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.

The ex-president was convicted of plotting a armed takeover in last fall and given more than over two decades in jail, but he continued under home detention pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after "new facts" were revealed.

This involved seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a demonstration that could facilitate a potential flight.

Court Filing Details Escape Concerns

In a document approving the detention, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his flight.

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

His son, Flávio, who holds office as a senator, called for a assembly of his backers near his father's house to take place on the weekend.

His son wrote on social media on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your settee? I urge you to struggle 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."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the judge's determination was the possibility of Bolsonaro's transfer to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a record of organizing to seek refuge through a consular facility", a statement said.

The judicial paperwork underscores that the US embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is positioned around 13km from the former president's residence.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow right-wing populist US President President Trump, prompting him to enact a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

The former president is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will experience a detention review on the following day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also requested that Bolsonaro be allowed to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he needed regular treatment for lung conditions and other ailments.

Details of Guilty Verdict

Bolsonaro was convicted of leading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

High Court judges said that he was aware of a scheme which included plans to kill Lula and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.

The plot was stopped because it didn't receive the backing of the army and air force commanders. His successor was took office without incident on January 1st, 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, many his backers stormed and vandalised official structures in the capital, Brasília.

The security forces took action and around 1,500 people were detained.

The magistrates found that the rioters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to take action, restore order and reinstate his authority.

At the moment, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.

The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him running in the next presidential race.