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

The ex-president was convicted of planning a government overthrow in September and handed more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he was staying under home detention pending appeals.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after fresh information emerged.

This encompassed seeking to disable his tracking device and a summons to a demonstration that could facilitate a possible escape.

Court Filing Details Escape Concerns

In a document approving the arrest, the magistrate said information from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his escape.

This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his child.

His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a senator, called for a meeting of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.

His son wrote on social media on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or watch it all from your phone there on your sofa? I urge you to fight with us."

He said the gathering would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his health and for the return of democracy in our nation."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the judge's determination was the possibility of the former president's move to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of planning to seek refuge through a embassy office", a statement said.

The judicial paperwork highlights that the US embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is located around 13km from the former president's residence.

International Reactions

The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist American leader President Trump, causing him to enact a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.

The former president is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will have a detention review on the next day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

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

They also petitioned that he be permitted to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he needed regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other health problems.

Details of Guilty Verdict

Bolsonaro was determined responsible of heading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plan which involved plans to assassinate his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The scheme was thwarted because it failed to get the backing of the armed forces officials. Lula was sworn in without issue on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, many Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed public facilities in the capital, the capital city.

The law enforcement took action and around 1,500 people were detained.

The judges found that the protesters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.

At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.

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

The one-time head of state called the trial a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.