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

The former head of state was convicted of plotting a government overthrow in September and sentenced more than 27 years in jail, but he was staying under confinement pending appeals.

Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a safety action after recent developments emerged.

This included trying to remove his tracking device and a call for a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a possible escape.

Judicial Records Show Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the detention, the judge said data from the facility tracking his home detention suggested the former leader's plan to remove the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his flight.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the gathering called by his son.

His son, his son Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a gathering of his followers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your couch? I call on you to battle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his health and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the potential of Bolsonaro's move to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a background of organizing to ask for protection through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.

The court filing underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 13km from the former president's residence.

International Reactions

The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist US President Trump, causing him to enact a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

The former president is being held in a national police facility in Brasilia and will undergo a custody hearing on Sunday.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on last Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with electronic monitoring.

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

Context of Sentencing

The former president was found guilty of orchestrating a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the national vote to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plan which encompassed plans to murder the current president and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The scheme was stopped because it didn't receive the backing of the armed forces officials. The current president was inaugurated without incident on January 1st, 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, many his followers stormed and vandalised official structures in the national capital, Brasília.

The security forces took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.

The magistrates found that the rioters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, reestablish control and return him to office.

At the moment, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also prohibited from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years later after the end of his sentence.

The former president called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 presidential election.