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Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities concluded he posed a serious risk of fleeing while under house arrest.

The one-time leader was convicted of orchestrating a military coup in September and handed more than over two decades in jail, but he remained under house arrest pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official Alexandre de Moraes said the action to imprison the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after recent developments emerged.

This involved trying to remove his tracking device and a call for a supporters' gathering that could facilitate a potential flight.

Judicial Records Show Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the detention, the magistrate said information from the centre monitoring Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his getaway".

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

His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a meeting of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.

The senator wrote on online platforms on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your country, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I urge you to struggle with us."

He said the gathering would be so backers could offer prayers for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our land."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the chance of Bolsonaro's move to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of arranging to request asylum through a consular facility", a announcement said.

The judicial paperwork emphasizes that the US embassy in the capital, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have generated frustration from fellow right-wing populist American leader President Trump, causing him to implement a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.

He is being kept in a national police facility in Brasilia and will have a custody hearing on the next day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

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 domestic detention, with tracking devices.

They also petitioned that he be authorized to leave his home for healthcare, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for respiratory ailments and other ailments.

Details of Guilty Verdict

The former president was convicted of heading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the presidential race to his ideological adversary, President Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a scheme which encompassed plans to assassinate Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been overseeing the former president's case.

The plot was prevented because it failed to get the backing of the military leaders. Lula was sworn in without issue on 1 January 2023.

But a week later, on January 8th, thousands of his backers invaded and destroyed public facilities in the capital, Brasília.

The law enforcement took action and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.

The judges found that the demonstrators had been incited by him whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.

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

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

The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the next presidential race.