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

The one-time leader was convicted of orchestrating a government overthrow in September and handed more than over two decades in prison, but he continued under home detention pending legal challenges.

Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" emerged.

This encompassed trying to remove his tracking device and a summons to a public vigil that could facilitate a potential flight.

Judicial Records Show Flight Fears

In a document approving the detention, Justice Moraes said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's "intention to break the surveillance device to guarantee victory in his getaway".

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

His offspring, his son Flávio, 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.

The senator wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your nation, or observe everything from your mobile device there on your couch? I call on you to struggle with us."

He said the demonstration would be so followers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our land."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the possibility of Bolsonaro's "relocation to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the probes revealed a history of arranging to request asylum through a diplomatic representation", a declaration said.

The court filing highlights that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is located around 8 miles from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative American leader Donald Trump, prompting him to impose a half-rate duty on goods coming from Brazil.

The former president is being kept in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will undergo a detention review on the following day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the High Court to permit him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with digital surveillance.

They also petitioned that he be permitted to depart his residence for medical treatment, saying he needed regular treatment for lung conditions and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was determined responsible of leading a conspiracy aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the 2022 election to his ideological adversary, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

High Court judges said that he knew of a plot which encompassed plans to murder the current president and his VP candidate, Geraldo Alckmin, and to arrest and execute the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.

The conspiracy was prevented because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the armed forces officials. Lula was inaugurated without problem on 1 January 2023.

But a following week, on January 8th, numerous his followers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the capital, the capital city.

The police took action and around approximately 1,500 persons were arrested.

The justices found that the rioters had been incited by him whose plan, they said, was for the country's army to intervene, bring back stability and bring him back to power.

At the time, the legal team called the decades-long sentence extremely harsh.

He was also prohibited from running for public office until the year 2060 - 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 designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 presidential election.