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Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under domestic detention.

The former head of state was convicted of plotting a armed takeover in last fall and handed more than a 27-year term in prison, but he continued under confinement pending appeals.

Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after fresh information emerged.

This included trying to remove his ankle monitor and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a chance to flee".

Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears

In a paperwork permitting the custody, the magistrate said intelligence from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's aim to disable the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his escape.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the protest called by his son.

His child, Flávio, who works as a legislator, called for a assembly of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I urge you to battle with us."

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

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the magistrate's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of arranging to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a statement said.

The judicial paperwork highlights that the US embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is located around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.

Worldwide Consequences

The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist American leader Donald Trump, causing him to enact a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.

He is being detained in a national police facility in Brasilia and will have a custody hearing on the next day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with digital surveillance.

They also requested that the former president be allowed to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he demanded ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other illnesses.

Context of Sentencing

The former president was convicted of heading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Lula.

High Court judges said that he knew of a plot which included plans to murder the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the High Court judge who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The scheme was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the support of the armed forces officials. The current president was sworn in without problem on January 1st, 2023.

But a following week, on January 8th, numerous his followers invaded and destroyed official structures in the federal district, Brasília.

The police took action and around 1,500 people were arrested.

The magistrates found that the rioters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, restore order and bring him back to power.

At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also prohibited from running for public office until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.

The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him competing in the next presidential race.