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Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.

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

High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after recent developments came to light.

This included seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a demonstration that could "allow for a potential flight.

Court Filing Details Escape Risks

In a document approving the detention, Justice Moraes said information from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the surveillance device to ensure success in his getaway".

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

His offspring, his son Flávio, who serves as a senator, called for a gathering of his followers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.

His son wrote on social media on the previous day: Do you plan to struggle for your homeland, or see it all from your smartphone there on your settee? I invite you to struggle with us."

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

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the potential of the former president's "relocation to embassies near the residence, considering that the inquiries revealed a record of planning to request asylum through a consular facility", a announcement said.

The legal document underscores that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brasilia, is located around 13km from Bolsonaro's home.

International Reactions

Bolsonaro's legal woes have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative US President Trump, causing him to enact a half-rate duty on imports of Brazilian goods.

He is being held in a Federal Police station in Brasilia and will experience a custody hearing on the following day.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on the previous day that the ex-leader's attorneys asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under house arrest, with digital surveillance.

They also asked that Bolsonaro be allowed to depart his residence for healthcare, saying he required regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other health problems.

Background on Conviction

Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a plot which involved plans to murder Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the top judicial official who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.

The scheme was thwarted because it couldn't obtain the support of the armed forces officials. His successor was sworn in without incident on January 1st, 2023.

But a week later, on January 8th, thousands of his followers stormed and vandalised official structures in the federal district, Brazil's capital.

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

The justices found that the demonstrators had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to intervene, reestablish control and reinstate his authority.

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

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

The ex-leader called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him participating in the next presidential race.