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

The one-time leader was convicted of plotting a military coup in September and sentenced more than 27 years in jail, but he continued under house arrest pending appeals.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after fresh information came to light.

This encompassed attempting to break his tracking device and a call for a public vigil that could "allow for a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns

In a document approving the custody, the magistrate said intelligence from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his getaway".

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the protest called by his offspring.

His son, his son Flávio, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.

The senator wrote on online platforms on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or watch it all from your phone there on your couch? I urge you to battle with us."

He said the vigil would be so followers could "pray for his physical condition and for the restoration of democratic rule in our land."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's decision was the possibility of Bolsonaro's transfer to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a background of arranging to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.

The court filing emphasizes that the United States embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is located around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

Worldwide Consequences

His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative United States President Trump, leading him to implement a fifty percent tax on imports of Brazilian goods.

He is being held in a national police facility in the capital and will experience a detention review on the next day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with digital surveillance.

They also requested that Bolsonaro be authorized to depart his residence for medical care, saying he needed frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other health problems.

Context of Sentencing

Bolsonaro was convicted of heading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the presidential race to his political opponent, President Lula.

High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plan which included plans to murder his opponent and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing the former president's case.

The conspiracy was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the military leaders. His successor was took office without problem on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, numerous his followers attacked and damaged government buildings in the national capital, Brasília.

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

The magistrates found that the protesters had been provoked by him whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, bring back stability and bring him back to power.

At the period, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until twenty-sixty - eight years after the completion of his term.

The former president called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 national vote.