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Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.

The one-time leader was convicted of planning a government overthrow in September and sentenced more than over two decades in incarceration, but he remained under home detention pending court reviews.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" came to light.

This involved trying to remove his tracking device and a summons to a demonstration that could "allow for a potential flight.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns

In a document approving the detention, the magistrate said intelligence from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the former leader's aim to disable the tracking monitor to guarantee victory in his escape.

This, it said, would be assisted by the confusion caused by the gathering called by his child.

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

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on last Friday: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I call on you to struggle with us."

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

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of the judge's ruling was the chance of his "relocation to embassies near the dwelling, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of planning to request asylum through a consular facility", a declaration said.

The legal document highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, the capital city, is situated around 8 miles from the former president's residence.

International Reactions

His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow conservative nationalist American leader President Trump, prompting him to implement a fifty percent tax on goods coming from Brazil.

He is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will experience a custody hearing on the following day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on the previous day that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under home confinement, with digital surveillance.

They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be permitted to exit his dwelling for medical treatment, saying he required regular treatment for pulmonary infections and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

The former president was found guilty of heading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the national vote to his left-wing rival, President Lula.

Top judicial officials said that he had knowledge of a scheme which encompassed plans to kill the current president and his VP candidate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The plot was stopped because it didn't receive the endorsement of the military leaders. His successor was sworn in without incident on the first day of 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, many his followers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the federal district, the capital city.

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

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

At the period, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also barred from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.

The one-time head of state called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him competing in the 2026 presidential election.