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

The former head of state was found guilty of orchestrating a military coup in last fall and handed more than a 27-year term in jail, but he remained under house arrest pending court reviews.

High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after "new facts" were revealed.

This involved attempting to break his ankle monitor and a summons to a public vigil that could facilitate a chance to flee".

Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks

In a document approving the arrest, the magistrate said intelligence from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's plan to remove the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his getaway".

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

His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or see it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I urge you to fight with us."

He said the gathering would be so backers could offer prayers for his health and for the return of democracy in our nation."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a background of planning to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The court filing underscores that the United States embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is located around 13km from his dwelling.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist US President Donald Trump, prompting him to impose a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.

He is being detained in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will experience a custody hearing on Sunday.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with tracking devices.

They also asked that the former president be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he needed ongoing care for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

He was found guilty of leading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, President Lula.

High Court judges said that he knew of a plot which encompassed plans to murder his opponent and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.

The conspiracy was prevented because it didn't receive the backing of the army and air force commanders. His successor was inaugurated without incident on January 1st, 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, numerous his followers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the capital, the capital city.

The police stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.

The judges found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.

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

He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.

The one-time head of state called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him competing in the next presidential race.