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Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.

The former head of state was convicted of plotting a armed takeover in last fall and handed more than over two decades in jail, but he remained under house arrest pending appeals.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after "new facts" emerged.

This involved trying to remove his tracking device and a summons to a demonstration that could facilitate a potential flight.

Court Filing Details Flight Fears

In a paperwork permitting the arrest, Justice Moraes said information from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to secure accomplishment in his flight.

This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the protest called by his child.

His son, his son Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a assembly of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or see it all from your phone there on your couch? I invite you to struggle with us."

He said the gathering would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the possibility of Bolsonaro's transfer to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a history of arranging to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.

The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, the capital city, is situated around 8 miles from the former president's residence.

International Reactions

The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist US President Donald Trump, prompting him to impose a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.

Bolsonaro is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will undergo a custody hearing on the next day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.

They also requested that Bolsonaro be permitted to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was determined responsible of leading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the national vote to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plot which involved plans to murder his opponent and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.

The plot was prevented because it didn't receive the support of the military leaders. Lula was took office without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a following week, on 8 January, numerous his backers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the capital, Brazil's capital.

The police intervened and around 1,500 people were detained.

The judges found that the protesters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, reestablish control and return him to office.

At the moment, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until the year 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The ex-leader called the trial a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the next presidential race.