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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 domestic detention.

The ex-president was sentenced of orchestrating a armed takeover in last fall and sentenced more than a 27-year term in prison, but he continued under confinement pending court reviews.

High Court Judge the presiding justice said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" came to light.

This involved seeking to disable his tracking device and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could enable a potential flight.

Court Filing Details Flight Fears

In a document approving the arrest, Justice Moraes said data from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his flight.

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

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

The senator wrote on online platforms on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or see it all from your smartphone there on your sofa? I invite you to battle with us."

He said the vigil would be so supporters could offer prayers for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the magistrate's decision was the potential of the former president's "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a background of arranging to seek refuge through a consular facility", a statement said.

The court filing emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 8 miles from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist US President Trump, causing him to implement a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.

Bolsonaro is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the next day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with digital surveillance.

They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be allowed to leave his home for healthcare, saying he required frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

He was convicted of heading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the 2022 election to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a plan which involved plans to assassinate the current president and his running partner, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The conspiracy was prevented because it failed to get the backing of the army and air force commanders. The current president was took office without problem on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, numerous his backers invaded and destroyed official structures in the national capital, Brazil's capital.

The law enforcement intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.

The justices found that the protesters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, reestablish control and return him to office.

At the time, the legal team called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.

He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The former president called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 presidential election.