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

The one-time leader was sentenced of orchestrating a government overthrow in September and given more than over two decades in prison, but he was staying under confinement pending appeals.

High Court Judge the presiding justice said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a preventative measure after recent developments came to light.

This involved seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a demonstration that could facilitate a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks

In a filing authorising the custody, Justice Moraes said information from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the former leader's aim to disable the surveillance device to ensure success in his flight.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the protest called by his son.

His child, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a senator, called for a gathering of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.

His son wrote on online platforms on Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your settee? I invite you to battle with us."

He said the gathering would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his physical condition and for the return of democracy in our country."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the chance of Bolsonaro's "relocation to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a background of arranging to seek refuge through a embassy office", a statement said.

The court filing underscores that the US embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is situated around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

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

Bolsonaro is being detained in a Federal Police station in the capital and will undergo a custody hearing on the next day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to authorize him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with tracking devices.

They also petitioned that he be authorized to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

He was determined responsible of orchestrating a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he was defeated in the presidential race to his left-wing rival, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he knew of a plot which involved plans to assassinate Lula and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.

The scheme was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. Lula was took office without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a following week, on January 8th, numerous his followers invaded and destroyed official structures in the national capital, Brazil's capital.

The police stepped in and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.

The justices found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.

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

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

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