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

The former head of state was convicted of orchestrating a government overthrow in last fall and sentenced more than a 27-year term in jail, but he was staying under house arrest pending appeals.

High Court Judge the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the elderly politician was a precautionary step after fresh information emerged.

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

Legal Document Reveals Flight Fears

In a filing authorising the arrest, the magistrate said data from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's "intention to break the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his escape.

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

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

His son wrote on online platforms on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or watch it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I urge you to battle with us."

He said the gathering would be so supporters could "pray for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's ruling was the chance of his move to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a record of planning to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.

The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, the capital city, is located around 13km from his dwelling.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative US President Donald Trump, prompting him to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.

Bolsonaro is being held in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the following day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be permitted to leave his home for medical care, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was found guilty of orchestrating a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the presidential race to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a scheme which encompassed plans to kill Lula and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The scheme was prevented because it failed to get the support of the army and air force commanders. The current president was sworn in without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a week later, on the eighth of January, many his backers stormed and vandalised public facilities in the federal district, Brasília.

The police took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.

The justices found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, restore order and reinstate his authority.

At the time, the legal team called the decades-long sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also banned from running for public office until twenty-sixty - eight years after the completion of his term.

The former president called the court case a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 presidential election.