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

The ex-president was convicted of orchestrating a military coup in the ninth month and given more than a 27-year term in prison, but he was staying under confinement pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a safety action after "new facts" came to light.

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

Judicial Records Show Escape Risks

In a document approving the detention, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the former leader's "intention to break the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his flight.

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

His child, his son Flávio, who works as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on the weekend.

His son wrote on social media on last Friday: Will you battle for your country, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your couch? I invite you to struggle with us."

He said the vigil would be so backers could "pray for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our nation."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the judge's ruling was the potential of Bolsonaro's "relocation to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a history of planning to seek refuge through a consular facility", a statement said.

The legal document highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, the capital city, is positioned around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist US President Donald Trump, prompting him to enact a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.

The former president is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brazil's capital city and will have a custody hearing on Sunday.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to permit him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with tracking devices.

They also asked that the former president be authorized to leave his home for medical care, saying he demanded ongoing care for lung conditions and other ailments.

Context of Sentencing

He was determined responsible of leading a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the presidential race to his political opponent, President Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a plot which included plans to assassinate the current president and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been managing his judicial proceedings.

The conspiracy was thwarted because it failed to get the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. Lula was inaugurated without issue on January 1st, 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, numerous Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged official structures in the federal district, the capital city.

The law enforcement intervened and around 1,500 people were arrested.

The judges found that the protesters had been incited by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to step in, restore order and return him to office.

At the period, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.

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

The former president called the court case a targeted investigation" and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the next presidential race.