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Jair Bolsonaro has been taken into custody after authorities concluded he posed a definite escape threat while under house arrest.

The former head of state was sentenced of plotting a armed takeover in last fall and given more than 27 years in incarceration, but he remained under confinement pending appeals.

Top Judicial Official Justice Moraes said the move to detain the septuagenarian politician was a precautionary step after "new facts" came to light.

This included attempting to break his tracking device and a summons to a supporters' gathering that could "allow for a possible escape.

Legal Document Reveals Escape Concerns

In a filing authorising the custody, the judge 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 flight.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the chaos caused by the protest called by his offspring.

His child, Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a gathering of his backers near his father's house to take place on Saturday night.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your mobile device there on your couch? I call on you to fight with us."

He said the vigil would be so followers could "pray for his physical condition and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the judge's determination was the potential of the former president's "relocation to foreign missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a history of planning to seek refuge through a embassy office", a statement said.

The legal document emphasizes that the American diplomatic mission in the capital, the capital city, is located around 13km from the former president's residence.

Worldwide Consequences

The former president's legal troubles have generated frustration from fellow conservative nationalist United States President President Trump, causing him to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports.

Bolsonaro is being kept in a national police facility in Brazil's capital city and will have a custody hearing on Sunday.

Latest Court Petitions

It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the Top Court to authorize him to complete his entire prison term under home confinement, with digital surveillance.

They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be authorized to depart his residence for medical care, saying he demanded frequent medical attention for lung conditions and other illnesses.

Context of Sentencing

Bolsonaro was found guilty of orchestrating a plot aimed at retaining his authority after he failed to win the presidential race to his political opponent, President Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he was aware of a plot which included plans to kill Lula and his VP candidate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder Justice Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over the former president's case.

The conspiracy was stopped because it failed to get the backing of the military leaders. The current president was sworn in without problem on January 1st, 2023.

But a week later, on 8 January, numerous his backers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the capital, Brazil's capital.

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

The judges found that the rioters had been encouraged by the former president whose plan, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, reestablish control and return him to office.

At the period, his attorneys called the 27 years and three months sentence unreasonably severe".

He was also prohibited from running for public office until the year 2060 - eight years after the end of his sentence.

The former president called the trial a political persecution and said it was aimed at blocking him running in the 2026 national vote.