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Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities found he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.

The one-time leader was sentenced of planning a military coup in September and handed more than 27 years in incarceration, but he continued under house arrest pending court reviews.

Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after fresh information came to light.

This encompassed trying to remove his ankle monitor and a invitation to a supporters' gathering that could enable a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the custody, the judge said intelligence from the unit overseeing Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his getaway".

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

His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a legislator, called for a meeting of his backers near Bolsonaro's home to take place on Saturday evening.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or see it all from your phone there on your sofa? I urge you to fight with us."

He said the gathering would be so backers could "pray for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our land."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the judge's ruling was the possibility of his "relocation to diplomatic missions near the home, considering that the investigations revealed a background of organizing to seek refuge through a embassy office", a statement said.

The judicial paperwork underscores that the United States embassy in the national capital, Brasilia, is located around 8 miles from his dwelling.

International Reactions

The former president's legal troubles have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist US President President Trump, causing him to implement a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.

Bolsonaro is being detained in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the next day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under home confinement, with digital surveillance.

They also requested that he be permitted to exit his dwelling for healthcare, saying he needed frequent medical attention for pulmonary infections and other illnesses.

Background on Conviction

He was found guilty of heading a plot aimed at keeping him in power after he was defeated in the 2022 election to his political opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

High Court judges said that he knew of a scheme which encompassed plans to murder his opponent and his running partner, Alckmin, and to arrest and execute Justice Moraes - the top judicial official who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

The conspiracy was prevented because it couldn't obtain the support of the armed forces officials. The current president was sworn in without problem on the first day of 2023.

But a following week, on January 8th, numerous Bolsonaro supporters attacked and damaged official structures in the federal district, the capital city.

The law enforcement stepped in and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.

The judges found that the demonstrators had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose scheme, they said, was for the Brazilian military to intervene, restore order and return him to office.

At the time, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also banned from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years after the completion of his term.

The ex-leader called the legal proceedings a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 presidential election.