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Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.

The former head of state was convicted of planning a military coup in September and sentenced more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he was staying under house arrest pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a safety action after "new facts" emerged.

This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a potential flight.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks

In a paperwork permitting the arrest, the judge said intelligence from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his flight.

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

His child, 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.

His son wrote on online platforms on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or observe everything from your phone there on your sofa? I call on you to fight with us."

He said the vigil would be so followers could "pray for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our nation."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the potential of his "relocation to diplomatic missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of arranging to request asylum through a consular facility", a declaration said.

The court filing highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, the capital city, is positioned around 8 miles from the former president's residence.

International Reactions

His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist United States President President Trump, leading him to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.

The former president is being kept in a Federal Police station in Brazil's capital city and will experience a detention review on the next day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.

They also requested that the former president be allowed to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he required regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Details of Guilty Verdict

The former president was found guilty of leading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plot which included plans to kill Lula and his running partner, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been managing his judicial proceedings.

The plot was prevented because it failed to get the endorsement of the military leaders. Lula was inaugurated without problem on January 1st, 2023.

But a following week, on January 8th, thousands of his backers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the federal district, Brazil's capital.

The police intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.

The magistrates found that the rioters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to step in, bring back stability and bring him back to power.

At the period, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.

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

The one-time head of state called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him participating in the 2026 presidential election.