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

The former head of state was found guilty of orchestrating a government overthrow in the ninth month and given more than over two decades in jail, but he remained under confinement pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official the presiding justice said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" emerged.

This included seeking to disable his tracking device and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a document approving the arrest, Justice Moraes said data from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his getaway".

This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the protest called by his offspring.

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

His son wrote on digital networks on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your couch? I urge you to struggle with us."

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

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the judge's ruling was the possibility of the former president's transfer to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of planning to ask for protection through a embassy office", a statement said.

The court filing emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, the capital city, is positioned around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist American leader Donald Trump, causing him to enact a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.

Bolsonaro is being held in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will have a imprisonment assessment on the next day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the High Court to authorize him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with digital surveillance.

They also asked that Bolsonaro be allowed to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he demanded regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

He was found guilty of leading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the national vote to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a scheme which involved plans to kill the current president and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The plot was stopped because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the armed forces officials. Lula was took office without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on January 8th, thousands of his followers attacked and damaged official structures in the federal district, the capital city.

The security forces took action and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.

The justices found that the protesters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, reestablish control and return him to office.

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

He was also banned from running for public office until 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.

The ex-leader called the court case a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 national vote.