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Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.

The ex-president was sentenced of planning a government overthrow in September and given more than over two decades in prison, but he was staying under house arrest pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after recent developments came to light.

This encompassed trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a summons to a public vigil that could enable a potential flight.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks

In a document approving the detention, Justice Moraes said data from the centre monitoring the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the electronic ankle bracelet to guarantee victory in his getaway".

This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the protest called by his son.

His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a legislator, called for a meeting of his followers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.

His son wrote on online platforms on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your settee? I call on you to struggle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so backers could "pray for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's decision was the potential of his transfer to embassies near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a history of organizing to seek refuge through a embassy office", a announcement said.

The court filing underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the national capital, Brazil's capital, is situated around 8 miles from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative United States President Donald Trump, causing him to enact a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.

He is being kept in a national police facility in the capital and will have a custody hearing on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on Friday that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with tracking devices.

They also asked that the former president be authorized to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was found guilty of heading a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the national vote to his political opponent, Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he knew of a scheme which involved plans to assassinate the current president and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been overseeing Bolsonaro's trial.

The plot was thwarted because it failed to get the endorsement of the armed forces officials. Lula was inaugurated without problem on the first day of 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, many his followers attacked and damaged government buildings in the capital, the capital city.

The security forces intervened and around fifteen hundred individuals were taken into custody.

The magistrates found that the rioters had been incited by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to step in, bring back stability and return him to office.

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

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

The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 national vote.