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The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.

The former head of state was convicted of planning a government overthrow in the ninth month and sentenced more than a 27-year term in incarceration, but he continued under confinement pending appeals.

High Court Judge the presiding justice said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a preventative measure after "new facts" were revealed.

This involved trying to remove his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a chance to flee".

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a filing authorising the detention, the magistrate said intelligence from the centre monitoring his home detention suggested the former leader's "intention to break the surveillance device to ensure success in his escape.

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

His offspring, Flávio Bolsonaro, who works as a senator, called for a gathering of his supporters near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday night.

The senator wrote on social media on last Friday: Will you battle for your country, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I invite you to battle with us."

He said the vigil would be so followers could offer prayers for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our nation."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the magistrate's ruling was the chance of Bolsonaro's move to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a history of arranging to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.

The legal document highlights that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, Brasilia, is positioned around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative United States President Trump, causing him to implement a 50% tariff on imports of Brazilian goods.

The former president is being detained in a national police facility in the capital and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the next day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on last Friday that the his legal team asked the Supreme Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with digital surveillance.

They also asked that Bolsonaro be permitted to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he demanded ongoing care for respiratory ailments and other health problems.

Details of Guilty Verdict

He was convicted of orchestrating a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he failed to win the presidential race to his ideological adversary, Lula.

High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a scheme which included plans to murder the current president and his running partner, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.

The scheme was prevented because it couldn't obtain the backing of the military leaders. The current president was took office without problem on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on January 8th, numerous his backers attacked and damaged public facilities in the national capital, Brasília.

The law enforcement stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained.

The magistrates found that the rioters had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the country's army to step in, bring back stability and reinstate his authority.

At the time, Bolsonaro's lawyers called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.

He was also barred from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The former president called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the 2026 presidential election.