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Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under domestic detention.

The former head of state was sentenced of plotting a military coup in last fall and sentenced more than 27 years in incarceration, but he remained under home detention pending legal challenges.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after fresh information were revealed.

This involved attempting to break his tracking device and a summons to a public vigil that could enable a possible escape.

Court Filing Details Flight Fears

In a filing authorising the arrest, the judge said intelligence from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the surveillance device to ensure success in his escape.

This, it said, would be assisted by the chaos caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.

His child, Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a assembly of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.

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

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could "pray for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's ruling was the possibility of the former president's move to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a history of organizing to seek refuge through a embassy office", a declaration said.

The court filing underscores that the US embassy in the capital, Brasilia, is situated around 13km from his dwelling.

Global Responses

His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist US President President Trump, prompting him to enact a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being kept in a national police facility in Brasilia and will experience a detention review on Sunday.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on Friday that the his legal team asked the Top Court to permit him to fulfill his full incarceration period under domestic detention, with tracking devices.

They also requested that he be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he needed regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other health problems.

Details of Guilty Verdict

Bolsonaro was convicted of heading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the national vote to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a scheme which included plans to assassinate the current president and his running partner, 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 thwarted because it failed to get the endorsement of the military leaders. The current president was inaugurated without incident on January 1st, 2023.

But a following week, on January 8th, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised government buildings in the capital, Brazil's capital.

The security forces stepped in and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.

The judges found that the protesters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to take action, restore order and return him to office.

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

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

The one-time head of state called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 national vote.