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The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The former head of state was convicted of planning a armed takeover in last fall and sentenced more than 27 years in prison, but he remained under home detention pending court reviews.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after recent developments emerged.

This encompassed seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a summons to a demonstration that could enable a chance to flee".

Court Filing Details Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the custody, the magistrate said information from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his escape.

This, it said, would be made easier by the disorder caused by the protest called by his son.

His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a congressional representative, called for a assembly of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.

His son wrote on online platforms on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or see it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I call on you to fight with us."

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

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the judge's decision was the potential of Bolsonaro's move to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of organizing to ask for protection through a consular facility", a statement said.

The court filing emphasizes that the US embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.

Worldwide Consequences

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative US President Trump, prompting him to impose a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being kept in a national police facility in the capital and will have a detention review on the following day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with tracking devices.

They also asked that he be permitted to leave his home for healthcare, saying he demanded regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other health problems.

Context of Sentencing

Bolsonaro was determined responsible of leading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he was aware of a plan which encompassed plans to kill his opponent and his running partner, Geraldo Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing his judicial proceedings.

The scheme was stopped because it failed to get the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. The current president was took office without issue on 1 January 2023.

But a week later, on January 8th, thousands of his backers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the capital, Brazil's capital.

The police intervened and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.

The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by him whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to take action, reestablish control and bring him back to power.

At the period, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also barred from campaigning for office until 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.

The former president called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him participating in the next presidential race.