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The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under home confinement.

The ex-president was sentenced of plotting a military coup in last fall and given more than over two decades in prison, but he continued under home detention pending appeals.

High Court Judge the presiding justice said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a precautionary step after fresh information came to light.

This encompassed seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a call for a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a potential flight.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the arrest, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his getaway".

This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his son.

His child, his son Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a meeting of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I invite you to struggle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the magistrate's ruling was the possibility of Bolsonaro's "relocation to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the investigations revealed a record of arranging to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.

The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the US embassy in the capital, the capital city, is situated around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow right-wing populist American leader Donald Trump, causing him to enact a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.

Bolsonaro is being kept in a national police facility in Brasilia and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with tracking devices.

They also asked that Bolsonaro be permitted to leave his home for medical care, saying he needed frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was convicted of orchestrating a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the national vote to his ideological adversary, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plan which encompassed plans to murder Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over the former president's case.

The conspiracy was prevented because it couldn't obtain the support of the military leaders. Lula was inaugurated without issue on the first day of 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, thousands of his followers invaded and destroyed official structures in the capital, the capital city.

The security forces took action and around 1,500 people were detained.

The magistrates found that the protesters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, reestablish control and bring him back to power.

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

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

The former president called the trial a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 national vote.