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Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under home confinement.

The one-time leader was convicted of planning a military coup in September and sentenced more than over two decades in prison, but he was staying under home detention pending appeals.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the septuagenarian politician was a safety action after "new facts" emerged.

This involved attempting to break his ankle monitor and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could enable a possible escape.

Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns

In a paperwork permitting the detention, the magistrate said data from the unit overseeing the former president's confinement suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his flight.

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

His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who holds office as a senator, called for a assembly of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or watch it all from your phone there on your couch? I urge you to fight with us."

He said the vigil would be so followers could offer prayers for his health and for the return of democracy in our nation."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the magistrate's decision was the possibility of the former president's "relocation to foreign missions near the dwelling, considering that the probes revealed a record of planning to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said.

The legal document underscores that the American diplomatic mission in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 8 miles from the former president's residence.

International Reactions

The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist United States President President Trump, causing him to impose a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

Bolsonaro is being held in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will experience a custody hearing on the next day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with digital surveillance.

They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be authorized to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he required frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other illnesses.

Details of Guilty Verdict

The former president was convicted of heading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, President Lula.

High Court judges said that he knew of a plan which encompassed plans to kill Lula and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.

The plot was prevented because it didn't receive the support of the army and air force commanders. Lula was inaugurated without incident on January 1st, 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, numerous his followers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the capital, Brasília.

The security forces stepped in and around 1,500 people were arrested.

The judges found that the protesters had been provoked by the former president whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.

At the time, his attorneys called the decades-long sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also banned from seeking elected position until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.

The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a political persecution and said it was intended to stop him participating in the 2026 presidential election.