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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 orchestrating a armed takeover in last fall and given more than 27 years in incarceration, but he remained under house arrest pending legal challenges.

High Court Judge the presiding justice said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" were revealed.

This encompassed trying to remove his tracking device and a summons to a public vigil that could facilitate a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Escape Risks

In a document approving the detention, the judge said intelligence from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the former leader's aim to disable the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his flight.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his child.

His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.

His son wrote on social media on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or see it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I invite you to fight with us."

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

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's decision was the possibility of his "relocation to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a history of planning to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The legal document emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brasilia, is located around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist US President Donald Trump, prompting him to enact a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

Bolsonaro is being held in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will experience a imprisonment assessment on the next day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Supreme Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with digital surveillance.

They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be permitted to leave his home for healthcare, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other health problems.

Context of Sentencing

The former president was convicted of heading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the national vote to his political opponent, Lula.

High Court judges said that he was aware of a plot which involved plans to assassinate his opponent and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been managing the former president's case.

The scheme was stopped because it didn't receive the support of the military leaders. His successor was took office without problem on the first day of 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, thousands of his backers attacked and damaged public facilities in the federal district, Brazil's capital.

The security forces took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.

The judges found that the protesters had been incited by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to step in, restore order and reinstate his authority.

At the period, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.

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

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.